Clemson coach Dabo Swinney on Wednesday addressed the future of Justyn Ross following an injury that will force the Tigers’ star receiver to miss most if not all of the remainder of the season.

Swinney said Ross will in fact have surgery Thursday to repair the stress fracture in his foot, making last week’s game against Connecticut potentially his last in a Clemson uniform. Swinney confirmed Ross, a fourth-year junior, won’t return for another collegiate season and will be getting ready for a potential NFL future once he’s healthy again.

“That’s the plan is to get him well,” Swinney said. “It’s not going to take long for him to get back well. We’ll see where he is. I don’t know if he can play in the bowl game or not, but he’ll definitely be ready to train and do what he needs to do for the (NFL) combine.”

Ross caught three passes against UConn, aggravating a hairline fracture he’s been dealing with all season when he fought through a couple of tackles at the end of his final catch in the first half. Swinney said what could be Ross’ final collegiate reception, which went for 25 yards once Ross was finally taken to the ground, was the epitome of his time at Clemson, which included working his way back from spinal fusion surgery that threatened his playing career.

“That’s really what I’m always going to have etched in my mind,” Swinney said of Ross’ final reception last week. “He fought to get back and was just fighting for everything he could get right there on that play.”

After missing all of the 2020 season once diagnosed with a congenital fusion in his spine in the spring of that year, Ross was back on the field a year and a half later, first during fall camp and then for the Tigers’ opener against Georgia on Sept. 4. He leads the Tigers this season in catches (46), yards (514) and receiving touchdowns (3).

With more than 2,000 receiving yards and 20 touchdown receptions in less than three full seasons — and what he’s put on tape this season for NFL personnel to show that he can still perform — Ross is “more than ready” to make the jump to the next level, Swinney said.

“He would’ve been ready last year if he had not gotten hurt,” Swinney said. “He’ll get himself healthy. It’s amazing what he’s been able to do. His toughness is second to none.”

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