Tennessee defensive lineman Jordan Ross has already shown that he’s pretty smart. He’s intent on learning from one of the best players in college football.
“I sit right beside him every day,” Ross said, referring to All-American defensive end James Pearce. “He teaches me plays, like how he cut it down, how he learned it at first and how he uses his technique to play fast.”
Some recruiting services had Ross rated as the No. 1 EDGE rusher in the nation when he signed with the Vols as part of the 2024 class. Playing early in the SEC isn’t easy, but Ross seems to have the pedigree to do it. Plus, he seems to be fitting in quite nicely on a defensive line that has a strong mix of talented youth and grizzled leadership.
“They treat everyone the same, even James,” Thomas said. “They treat Joshua (Josephs), they treat Omarr (Norman-Lott) the same way. They treat everyone with the same respect. They aren’t playing favorites with anybody.”
While no one is expecting Ross to be a superstar from Day One, there are still high expectations for him this season. Still, there are more experienced players in front of him and he is still learning the ropes.
“Learn what it takes to be a high-level college athlete,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said when asked what Ross needed to do moving forward. “How you take care of your body, how you do extra inside of our building. That can be in our meeting room, it can be fundamental development on your own during the summer months.
“It’s what it looks like to be the consummate pro. We’re fortunate that as we’ve built this thing, we have guys who have the right accountability to the daily task. Guys that understand what it takes to do your plus one, meaning everybody in the country is lifting a certain amount of hours, (has) a certain amount of practice hours during the week during the season.
“How do prepare yourself? What’s your plus one to gain an edge? That’s in your position room as we’re competing for playing time, but it’s also against your opponents that you’re playing.”
Ross is currently competing with Tennessee’s offensive front. So far, things seem to be going well after a week of preseason camp.
“It’s going so fast that you have to look at them and understand what you are doing in all the play calls and formations,” Ross said. “It was pretty solid, though, and I liked it.”
