Justyn Ross ready to give his all in final go at Central

At 6-foot-4, 197 pounds, it’s hard to overlook Central wide receiver Justyn Ross. Throw a football anywhere in his vicinity, and that task becomes impossible.

Ross has all eyes upon him entering his final season in Phenix City. The senior is a five-star recruit according to Rivals and the top player in Alabama per 247 Sports’ Composite ranking. His college offers echo that talent, as his top five schools consist of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Florida State.

When the Red Devils offense takes the field in Friday’s season opener against Bob Jones, you can rest assured most will fix their gaze on No. 5. It’s a far cry from three years ago, when Ross was convinced football just wasn’t for him.

Ross’ climb to high school football star began the spring of his eighth grade year. In preparation for Ross’ freshman season, new Central head coach Jamey DuBose opted to move the raw player up to the varsity level.

DuBose, who has now been a head coach for 11 seasons at four schools, said Ross’ move was a nearly unprecedented one in his experience.

“There’s probably been two or three ninth graders over my career who have actually been on the varsity team for me,” DuBose said. “That’s not something I like to do, but I felt like he was far enough along we could call him up and give him some reps to help us as a football team.”

Ross’ move to unfamiliar players and increased scrutiny was not a seamless one, to say the least.

“It was a process,” Ross said. “I had moved up to varsity my eighth grade spring, so I had to tighten up. I did, but I wanted to quit. My coaches cared about me, and they knew I had a bright future.”

Ross also played basketball for the Red Devils, and the idea of him focusing solely on that sport was not far fetched. DuBose said he was in favor of Ross and other players that age playing every sport they could.

Still, DuBose didn’t bite his tongue when there was a notion that Ross could leave football behind.

“I explained to him, ‘You’ll probably be making the biggest mistake of your life if you walk away from this,’” DuBose said.

With DuBose’s guidance and his own commitment to the game, Ross’ improvements and potential soon became noticeable. Kentucky offered Ross in the spring of his freshman year, which was the start of a recruiting snowball rolling downhill.

Take, for instance, the months leading up to Ross’ senior season. With 21 offers in hand, Ross took unofficial visits to Florida State on March 29, Auburn on April 1 and Alabama on April 22. During the summer, he attended an Alabama camp on June 4 and took unofficial visits to Auburn and Clemson.

Ross started whittling down his options after his mother Charay Franklin returned from a 10-month deployment in Kuwait, her third such deployment. Ross explained he waited because it was important that his mother was as comfortable with Ross’ options as he was.

Ross was honest in saying that juggling his work for the Red Devils and doing his due diligence with colleges has been far from easy. Still, he said he has made improvements with his hands, his footwork and his route running over the offseason.

According to DuBose, Ross’ ability to tune so much out and simply get to work is a product of the maturity that’s been on display since day one.

“He’s one of the most humble guys I’ve ever been around in my life,” DuBose said. “He’s different. He’s a real focused guy, and I think that’s one of the things that sets him apart. We’ll answer it at the end of the year, but I think he’s one who’s going to progress even more as a senior.”

DuBose is no stranger to talented football players, but there have been times Ross has pulled off catches so unbelievable that the coach has asked for another witness to the play. DuBose was adamant that the talented Ross has yet to fulfill his potential, meaning those freak catches can likely become even more commonplace.

“I think once he really gets into a football mindset where it’s 365 days out of the year with proper training, proper nutrition, proper lifting, proper speed training and proper development, I think you’re fixing to see a guy that’s unbelievable,” DuBose said. “I think that you’re going to have somebody that has something you watch on your TV on Sundays.”

Ross has shown his maturity when discussing the social media attention he draws, saying he doesn’t concern himself with fans pleading for him to pick their school. At this point, Ross’ attention is dead set on leading the Red Devils to their first state championship since 1993.

The buzz around Ross’ game validates his growth over the years, but at this point talk means little to him. Ross has been on countdown mode for the first kickoff since summer began. With those months and weeks now down to hours, Ross is eager to show the strides he’s made as he tries to prove himself as one of the nation’s best.

“I’m very excited because that’s what it all comes down to,” Ross said. “You get the ratings and the stars and stuff, but you’ve got to show it on the field.”

And what, exactly, would he tell the defensive backs who dare line up against him this fall?

“Good luck,” Ross said. “That’s all I can say.”

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Justyn Ross ready to give his all in final go at Central."