Jordan Ross Signs With Tennessee
Early national signing day is upon us, and the Tennessee Volunteers are hoping to finish strong. They've recruited at a high rate under head coach Josh Heupel and brought in some major difference-makers in their 2023 signing class. Volunteer Country will provide readers with an in-depth breakdown of each signee.
Edge rusher Jordan Ross is the tenth commit to turn in their national letter of intent. He is the No. 33 player in the cycle, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Take a look at what the Vols are getting.
Prospect: Jordan Ross
Projected Position: Weakside DE
Vitals: 6-4.5 and 233 pounds
School: Vestavia Hills High School (Birmingham, Alabama)
Frame: Long and athletic with tons of room to add weight. Ross's arm length enables him to step out to a 7-technique. Few can play out wide so far, so they get paid well in the NFL. Most defensive ends are destined to end up playing as far out as a 5-technique and no more, but Ross projects to play most downs there because of his body type.
Athleticism: A+ mover when he sticks his feet in the ground and decides, "I'm going from point A to point B, and there's no way the offensive player is beating me to that spot." Ross ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash at a recruiting event, an excellent time for a defensive lineman. It has long strides that eat up turf quickly. He can dip his hips and stay explosive when bending the corner.
Instincts: Still learning the technicalities of the game. Ross can occasionally be caught off-guard by a backside motion or an action fake, but his athleticism often allows him to overcome that in high school. A lot of that mental progression will come with snaps and spending time with defensive line coach Rodney Garner, so it's not a huge concern on his evaluation.
Polish: Sky-high ceiling, but he's not there yet. Ross is an unfinished evaluation, largely because we don't have that much data or information on him. He stepped onto the national circuit after his junior season, meaning we've only been discussing him for a few months. Before making the full-time transition to football, he was a high-level basketball player, so there will still be growing pains along the way.
Bottom Line: I wrote about it a few months ago, but Ross has always been made for SEC football. He's long, fast, and strong. That fits the billing of every elite defensive lineman that has come through the conference over the past few years. He still has room to grow, but Ross should get up-to-speed in plenty of time over his senior year of high school and his early days with Tennessee.
2024 5-star EDGE Jordan Ross during his official visit to Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Jordan Ross)
Tennessee's 2024 Recruiting Class - * denotes NLI turned in
- Jake Merklinger, QB
- Peyton Lewis, RB *
- Mike Matthews, WR
- Braylon Harmon, WR
- Braylon Staley, WR
- Cole Harrison, TE
- Bennett Warren, OT
- Jesse Perry, OT
- Gage Ginther, OT
- William Satterwhite, OG *
- Max Anderson, OG *
- Kellen Lindstrom, DE *
- Carson Gentle, DE *
- Jeremias Heard, DL *
- Jordan Ross, EDGE *
- Edwin Spillman, ILB *
- Jordan Burns, ILB *
- Marcus Goree, CB
- Kaleb Beasley, CB *
- Boo Carter, S
- Edrees Farooq, S
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