Syracuse football: Justus Ross-Simmons explodes as health improves

He nearly took a redshirt. Now, his explosiveness might take the Orange to the next level.

As soon as Justus Ross-Simmons felt Virginia Tech cornerback Mansoor Delane on his ankles, he only had one thought.

“Oh, he messed up,” said Ross-Simmons.

The Colorado State transfer wide receiver had just made his first catch for the Syracuse Orange. He had noticed Delane was slightly off in his position before his comeback route. Ross-Simmons easily lifted his legs away from Delane, who was on the ground trying to make a tackle at the ankles.

Then the running started. Ross-Simmons caught Kyle McCord’s bullet pass at midfield. Seven seconds later and 50 yards later, the Rochester native dove for the end zone. Two seconds later, the touchdown signal was given.

It was not only the first catch and first touchdown for Justus Ross-Simmons in a Syracuse uniform. It was the first touchdown for Syracuse that game against Virginia Tech. That score with 6:18 left in the 3rd quarter sparked a frantic comeback that eventually ended in a 38-31 overtime win for Syracuse.

However, that moment almost never happened.

Five days earlier, Ross-Simmons met with Syracuse football head coach Fran Brown after practice. He told Brown that he was thinking about taking a redshirt and sitting for the rest of the season.

“I said, ‘You redshirt, my butt,’” said Brown. “‘You’re not redshirting, you’re about to play this week.’”

Ross-Simmons had only played in four games prior to the Virginia Tech contest. By playing against the Hokies, he would burn his chance of receiving a redshirt as requested. Then, as Syracuse trailed 21-3 early in the third quarter, wide receivers coach Ross Douglas called Ross-Simmons’ number.

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“He trusted me and put me out there,” said Ross-Simmons. “He said, ‘Justus, I need you to make a play.’”

Four catches, 88 yards and two touchdowns later, Ross-Simmons can say with confidence he made a play.

It’s been a long time coming for Ross-Simmons. He entered the transfer portal from Colorado State on April 13 and committed to the Orange nine days later. However, Ross-Simmons didn’t get the benefit of a full training camp. He suffered a hamstring injury that was severe enough to also cause a calf injury. Brown described the hamstring injury as a “popped” hamstring instead of a pulled injury.

It took a lot longer than Ross-Simmons and the Orange staff expected for him to recover from the hamstring injury. He finally made his Syracuse debut against Stanford on September 20, but in limited action. According to Pro Football Focus, Ross-Simmons didn’t play more than 10 snaps in a game until the Pittsburgh contest on October 24.

“I learned I had to stay disciplined with all of my stuff,” said Ross-Simmons.

What also helps Ross-Simmons is his proximity to home. The Rochester native initially attended East High School before moving to California for his senior year. Add on his first two seasons at Colorado State and it’s been three years since his family have seen him play football.

“They weren’t able to come to the games and stuff because it was so far,” said Ross-Simmons. “For them to watch me play, it means a real lot to me.”

Ross-Simmons’ mom, dad and brother were all in attendance at the JMA Wireless Dome. They got to watch their son and brother add another dimension to the Syracuse offense: his self-proclaimed explosiveness.

“Everyone coming to this game, based on the week of practice that he had, knew that he was going to be a big contributor to the offense,” said McCord.

Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

Ross-Simmons isn’t fully healthy yet. Fans could see that as Ross-Simmons was nearly tripped up by a lunging tackle at the six-yard line on his first touchdown. He had lost some speed as Virginia Tech safety Mose Phillips III nearly saved the house call.

But Ross-Simmons still scored. And with the talented wide receiver close to full health, his head coach is already thinking about the future.

“You see what he is when he’s about 80%,” said Brown. “So imagine once he gets to be full go.”