ANN ARBOR — When junior Josh Ross injured his ankle against Wisconsin, Michigan’s starting middle linebacker wasn’t expecting to miss as many games as he did.
But considering high-ankle sprains are notoriously difficult to rehab, Ross’ return to the field was a delayed one.
“It was one of those things where it was just lingering, and I wasn't healthy until about six or seven weeks out,” Ross told The Blade. “Rehabbing, anytime you have an injury or anything that you have to rehab and kind of do the same type of routine everyday, it's tough. It's tough mentally and all that. But you work through it, and even if a situation is bad, it's like football teaches you, you just kind of work through it and grind it out. But even though it was a tough situation for me, I grew from it, and I'm glad I went through it going forward.”
Ross only played in one more game in 2019, the Citrus Bowl against Alabama. But that was by the program’s design.
Even though Ross managed to work his way back into practices ahead of the Notre Dame game, on Nov. 11, head coach Jim Harbaugh said that the team would be seeking a redshirt for Ross, something that would be an option if he played in just one more contest.
Ross said prior to that, he discussed redshirting with both Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Don Brown. All thought it would be best for both the program and Ross.
“It's beautiful, and especially now what's going on with all of the coronavirus stuff and everything being locked down, it's kind of like I'm itching to get back out there and play because I love this game so much,” Ross said. “But it's so beautiful knowing that I have an extra year, and I kind of get the year back that I had, even though it was a tough season, I got injured early, and didn't play as much after. But now I'm able to get that year back and make it right.”
In total in 2019, Ross appeared in four games recording 18 tackles, half of which came against Army in Week 2. The year prior, Ross appeared in all 13 of Michigan’s games and recorded 61 tackles.
Throughout the rehab process, Ross said he leaned on wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and safety Brad Hawkins, as all three had similar injuries at different points last season. But still, sitting out for Ross was particularly frustrating while watching Michigan’s three conference losses.
The Wolverines went on to lose the Wisconsin game 35-14. In October there was also a close 28-21 loss to Penn State on the road that Ross watched from home, followed by a 56-27 defeat at the hands of Ohio State, closing out the regular season.
“It's tough, especially when you were a starter, you were a guy who was on the field contributing, and now you're at home kind of watching the game from the sideline,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I kind of took a different approach when I was injured. Of course I wanted to get back, but just kind of looking at situations outside in, viewing it as far as the whole of looking at every position instead of just mine.
“It helped me grow just learning and seeing situations that happened, especially at different positions.”
When Ross was sidelined, Cam McGrone took over at the middle linebacker spot. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from both the coaches and the media after recording 65 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3½ sacks, and five quarterback hits.
“He's a good friend of mine, and just seeing him blossom into the guy I knew he was capable of being, and just getting better across the season, It's special to me watching from the outside in. It was beautiful to watch, it really was. And he is going to be a super, super good player next year.”
But considering McGrone thrived at the middle linebacker spot, there have been questions raised about what exactly that means for Ross in the defense.
In March, appearing on Michigan’s in-house In the Trenches podcast, Brown praised Ross’ resolve in dealing with his injury, and said that his versatility will be a major asset going forward.
“Josh Ross is a worker,” Brown said. “Even when he was down, whatever he could mentally to work on is craft, he was doing. Obviously, you get the rust on, it’s hard to pull it back off when you’ve missed eight weeks. But he’s had a tremendous winter. He’s a tremendous leader for our guys. Putting him beside Cam McGrone, I really feel that will be a strength of our program for sure.
“The nice thing is McGrone is settled in at the Mike [middle linebacker] position. Josh is one of those unique guys that can play Mike or play Will [weak-side linebacker]. He’s stout, strong so he can play like an inside linebacker. He is mobile. Uses his strengths to his benefit in both run and pass. So we feel really good about him.”
Ross said there’s been no definitive decisions made just yet, and didn’t want to speculate about whether he would be filling in at the starting Will position vacated by Jordan Glasgow.
“I'm just so excited for next year,” he said. “There was a lot going on last year, but as a defense I'm so excited for it. Especially for myself as well, but just to blossom as a unit, get better, and produce.”
Ross is currently in Ann Arbor. He works out when he can with defensive ends Kwity Paye and Luiji Vilain, and former Michigan running back Berkley Edwards, since there are no organized team activities due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But much like at the beginning of the 2019 season, Ross still feels like he has something to prove, both individually, and as a member of Michigan’s defense.
In 2019, the Wolverines ended the year ranked No. 11 in the nation in total defense, the first time they finished outside of the top four since Brown took over the defense in 2016.
But in 2020, he’ll bring that same mentality with a newfound appreciation.
“No matter what happens, no matter how much you love this game, something can happen where you get injured and it can be over,” Ross said. “So you have to take advantage of every single opportunity you get. You have to take advantage of everything that comes your way, because God forbid, injuries can happen. So you have to take advantage of all you can throughout the process of playing the great sport that we play.”
Family connection: Another reason Ross remains excited that he gets another year of eligibility is because of his brother James, who was a former linebacker at Michigan and is now a graduate assistant coach on defense. He and his wife, Omnielle, had a baby in November, and Josh Ross is excited to continue being a hands-on uncle to Jayce.
“As a kid growing up, watching my brother grow into the man he is today and becoming one of my coaches, to have him here and me being an uncle, it's a beautiful sight,” Josh Ross said. “I love it so much and he's growing so fast.”
First Published May 7, 2020, 8:54 p.m.
