Ross shows off his electrifying skillset in UVa debut
Transfer wide receiver Cam Ross took the field for his UVa debut on Saturday with plenty of expectations placed upon his shoulder.
It’s safe to say that in the 48-7 win over Coastal Carolina, the Delaware product showed why so many people have been thinking that way.
The 5-foot-10 playmaker arrived in Charlottesville after his lone season at JMU where he had hauled in 37 receptions for 443 yards and three touchdowns across his 13 appearances and nine starts at receiver.
His talent was evident, but he struggled with drops and mostly made a name for himself on special teams, averaging 28.2 yards per kickoff return on 13 attempts, including a 94-yard touchdown against Southern Miss. It was enough to earn him Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week after his touchdown and a Third Team All-Sun Belt selection as a return specialist.
Hoos had faith
But despite his inconsistency at receiver last season, UVa head coach Tony Elliott and his staff were high on him all preseason, making it clear he would be a key contributor as both a returner and a receiver.
“Cam Ross has just been steady,” Elliott said of Ross last Tuesday. “He’s been steady every single day that he’s been out there and we didn’t know a ton about him, but he’s been one that’s impressed me with his football IQ.”
There have been a countless number of players in college football who have received mountains of praise in the preseason both inside and outside their respective program, only to come crashing down to Earth once the season starts. But in his UVa debut on Saturday, Ross didn’t just live up to his preseason expectations, he shattered them.
In the opener, Ross proved himself as a go-to receiver for quarterback Chandler Morris, hauling in seven catches on nine targets for 124 yards and a touchdown. Postgame he said that catching the ball was a major focus of his during the offseason, with wide receivers coach Adam Mims challenging the group to catch 500 balls every day. Ross said he and a few others stuck to it, throwing it to each other every day to reach that 500 mark.
“You can imagine how sore our shoulders get throwing 500 balls to each other,” Ross joked, “but, I mean, it’s worth it.”
“Easiest job on the field”
Then there was his lone kick return of the evening — a 100-yard return straight to the house, only the fifth such play in program history, and he knew it would be a touchdown in the first 20 yards. The kick return wasn’t even in the direction it was supposed to go, but Ross gave credit to the other 10 guys in the return unit for giving him the opening.
“I trust every one of those 10 with my life,” he said, “and they got the hard part. All I gotta do is catch the ball and run and follow them and with a hole like that, I have the easiest job on the field.”
All it took was one cut and for Ross to hit the jets to sail into the end zone. It was in stark contrast to his longest reception of the day, a 46-yard reception in which Ross caught the ball near the sideline, then weaved and outran multiple defenders before going down at the 1.
“I wanted to throw up after that,” Ross joked, “but like I said, there was a lot of money left out there, and I’m well aware of that, so just gotta keep working.”
There may have been a few missed opportunities but Ross gave the Hoos exactly what they needed and then some in their thumping of the Chanticleers.
With UVa’s season just getting underway, Elliott said postgame Saturday that the coaching staff is “super excited” for Ross and his progression moving forward, comparing him to a former electrifying Wahoo receiver and returner. Malik Washington.
“They’re different, and he’s got a long way to go,” Elliott said, “obviously, because Malik did some exceptional things here, but he’s kind of cut through the same cloth.”
