Michigan Football Snapshot: Josh Ross

Joshua Ross is ready to return to the field in a big way in 2020.

Rising redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross only played in four games in 2019 due to various injuries so he's champing at the bit to return to the field in 2020. I think he'll do so in a big way and will be a part of one of the best linebacker duos in the conference along with Cameron McGrone.

The 6-2, 232-pounder recorded 18 tackles in in less than four games during the 2019 season and showed that he's very instinctive and solid as a tackler.

Highlights from @JoshuaRoss_12' 2019. ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/00RDdeaebj

— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 29, 2020

In the fourth game of the season, Ross got dinged up, McGrone stepped in and the rest is history for the 2019 season and Ross. As much of a bummer as it is that Ross missed time, it allowed him to redshirt, maintaining an extra year of eligibility, while allowing McGrone to step in and shine. Now, both of them will be ready and raring to go in 2020, which is a dangerous thought.

2020 Outlook

Ross has always had great instincts and is one of the naturally smartest football players on the roster. He's a really good athlete, although not as fast as McGrone, but he's not hindered physically in any way. He has a knack for diagnosing plays and getting to the ball carrier, which allows him to play faster than he actually is. He's also very solid as a tackler. He does a fantastic job breaking down and staying in front of ball carriers. You won't see him get juked or miss guys in the open field. 

When Ross signed his letter of intent back in February of 2017, defensive coordinator Don Brown had this to say about him.

"Josh is a tremendous fundamental linebacker," Brown said. "He is also an excellent blitzer. He is an aggressive player and a great tackler, and his fundamentals are off the charts. Josh plays with tremendous passion at the linebacker position, and with his brother having played here, he obviously has the right blood lines. He can play either of the inside two positions, so he has position flexibility."

Not only is Ross very solid on the field, he's mature and responsible off of it. When he committed to the Wolverines back in 2016, the Michigan coaches knew they were getting a good one.

"That kid is going to be a captain someday," an assistant coach told me.

Even though Ross missed most of the 2019 season, he's going to step back into his starting role, lead by example and take the linebacking group up a notch while at least one new starter gets used to his new role.

Ross only started one game in 2018 but had 61 tackles and a sack during that season. Over the course of his Michigan career, he's averaged almost six tackles per game. As a yearlong starter who rarely comes off the field, I expect that number to go up. It wouldn't surprise me to see Ross notch more than 80 tackles in 2020. If he can sprinkle in a couple sacks and some tackles for loss, he'd have to be happy with that production after missing most of 2019. 

In Michigan's defense, he's not going to blitz as much as McGrone or whoever the viper ends up being, but he's going to be solid against the run, fill gaps and rack up stops. If he stays healthy, look for a very productive season out of Ross.