With Justyn Ross out for the season, what is next for Clemson at wide receiver?

Head coach Dabo Swinney announced during a video conference with the media on Monday that Ross will have surgery on Friday and will not play during the upcoming 2020 season.

After undergoing an X-ray this spring that looked at his back and spine following an injury he suffered in spring practice in March, Ross learned he has a congenital fusion, which is something he was born with. Ross experienced stinger-like symptoms and numbness after catching a pass and being hit during a practice. He went down, was slow to get up and ended up missing the final part of spring practice.

A two-year starter, Ross played in 14 games last season and caught a team-high 66 passes for 865 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019.

The Tigers top returning wide receiver will be Amari Rodgers. The senior caught 30 passes for 426 yards and four touchdowns last year. After returning from an ACL injury suffered in the spring, Rodgers was still able to play in 14 of Clemson’s 15 games.

Though Rodgers is the most experienced wide receiver, he will still likely stay in the slot position.

After Rodgers, the numbers for experienced targets dips tremendously for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Joseph Ngata will likely take over for Ross at boundary receiver. As Ross’ backup last season, the sophomore caught 17 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns.

At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Ngata is physically the closest receiver to Ross’ skill set. As a true freshman, he played in 15 games, which should be beneficial to his development this coming season.

Look for Cornell Powell and Frank Ladson to compete for the field position at wide receiver. Powell is a senior, who in the spring crossed trained at all three of the wide receiver positions.

At 6-foot, 210 pounds, Powell has tremendous speed, plus brings in a ton of experience. Last year, Powell caught 15 passes for 122 yards and scored two touchdowns. Swinney said Powell had the best spring of any wide receiver and led the unit in catches.

Ladson showed flashes as a freshman in what kind of player he came be. He made a tremendous catch in the Tigers’ 36-point win at Syracuse, going up in the back of the end zone and snagging a pass out of the air, while falling down on his back.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound receiver finished 2019 with nine catches for 128 yards and three touchdowns, while playing in all 15 games. In the spring, Swinney said Ladson made big strides in his development and he thought he was someone who was going to be more consistent in his sophomore year.

Redshirt freshman Brannon Spector will also help out. Though he is expected to backup Rodgers in the slot, he is 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, so he will likely cross train at the field position and help with depth there as well.

Freshman E.J. Williams, who is from Ross’ high school in Phenix, Alabama, enrolled at Clemson early and did get some work in this past spring. Williams was a consensus top 125 player in high school. He had 44 catches for 739 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior season.

At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, he has the same body type as Ladson. According to Swinney, he had a solid first spring and showed flashes of how good he can be with a couple of dynamic catches.

The Tigers will also welcome freshman wide receiver Ajou Ajou this summer. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Ajou will give Lawrence another tall threat to throw to. However, the question is, will he be ready to go by the time the season begins.

Though he is not a receiver, tight end Braden Galloway will help in the passing game, as well. In the spring, Galloway crossed trained as a slot receiver when the Tigers brought in four-man sets.

Look for his role to expand similar to the one Jordan Leggett shined in after Mike Williams went down with a season-ending neck injury in 2015. Leggett finished third on the team with 40 receptions for 525 yards, while tying a Clemson single-season record for a tight end with eight touchdowns.

At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, Galloway has a lot of the same skill set as Leggett.

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