Isaiah Ross stopped for about three minutes just inside the entrance of the Gossett Team House yesterday.
At first, it seemed unusually and out of place. Reporters were waiting for practice to end, and Ross just stood there, leaning against his crutches. He gave quick nods to the reporters he recognized, but continued to stand on this welcome mat. Several people came into the door behind him, having to navigate their way around the 251-pound true freshman.
Eventually, I figured out what he was doing. Ross was making an extra effort to dry the soles of his adidas swimming sandals, to ensure he didn’t slip. It’s all part of a process for Ross, who is out for the season with an ACL injury sustained on what was initially described as a questionable hit in Saturday’s loss at N.C. State, though Friedgen has said since that Ross was not actually hurt on that play, but an earlier play.
Ross is a good, local kid who was seeing more playing time this year than I think anyone expected, including himself. He’s one of 10 true freshmen to have played this year. Defensive coordinator Don Brown is always up for moving a linebacker to an end position, and he had been thoroughly impressed with Ross’s progression this season.
Now, Ross is out for the final three weeks and scrambling to find his way back onto the field for spring practice. But he’s promised his coach he’ll be out there.
“Sunday night, at11:30 [p.m.], I’m leaving the office, heading home, when I get a text [from Ross]: ‘I’m going to come back, and I’m going to be bigger, stronger, faster. I’m going to chase every quarterback in the ACC,’” Brown said. “So he’s certainly got the right attitude, and that’s what you look for.”
Defensive tackle Zach Kerr, a fellow true freshman who refers to Ross as a younger brother, said Ross “might be taking it a lot better than I’m taking it.”
“He’s not taking it like everyone else does; he’s still trying to stay positive about it,” Kerr said. “Don’t act like you feel sorry for him, that’s not what he wants. I know Ross. That’s not what he wants. That’s the type of attitude he’s got. He just wants you to be there for him and support him.”
Brown said Ross’s reps will primarily be taken by senior Jared Harrell and sophomore Derek Drummond, who has made progress lately in what has been a fairly quiet season for the former linebacker. Both players were already ahead of Ross on the depth chart.
That’s not to say Ross won’t be missed, though. Certainly, Kerr has already noticed his absence.
“Since day one, me and him been out there together,” Kerr said. “So it’s going to be weird not warming up with him, doing our little pre-game handshake at stuff. But it is what it is.”
ajoseph@umdbk.com
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