Jordan Ross (American football)
| No. 29 – Tennessee Volunteers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Vestavia Hills (Vestavia Hills, Alabama) |
| College | Tennessee (2024–present) |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Jordan Destin Ross is an American college football defensive end for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Early life
Ross is from Vestavia Hills, Alabama.[1] He attended Vestavia Hills High School where he played football as a defensive end.[2] As a junior in 2022, he helped Vestavia Hills to the second round of the Class 7A playoffs while posting 49 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks, as well as scoring two defensive touchdowns.[3][4] He then totaled 72 tackles, 23 tackles-for-loss and 12.5 sacks as a senior, earning selection to the Under Armour All-America Game.[5] Ross was named the 7A Defensive Player of the Year by Around The State Sports and as the Defensive Player of the Year by the Over the Mountain Journal.[1]
A five-star recruit, Ross was ranked a top-10 player nationally as well as the best edge rusher in the nation by 247Sports and On3.com.[6][7] He committed to play college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.[8] He was the highest-ranked member of Tennessee's 2024 recruiting class.[9][10]
College career
Ross entered his true freshman season in 2024 as a backup defensive end, behind James Pearce Jr., Joshua Josephs and Caleb Herring.[11] He was used mainly on special teams and posted three tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and blocked a punt which he returned for a touchdown, earning selection to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) All-Freshman team.[12] After Pearce graduated, Ross began seeing more significant playing time as a sophomore in the 2025 season.[13]
References
- ^ a b "Jordan Ross". Tennessee Volunteers.
- ^ Sparks, Adam (August 21, 2023). "Tennessee football beats Alabama recruiting battle for four-star edge rusher Jordan Ross". Knoxville News Sentinel – via archive.today.
- ^ Grant, Rubin E. (August 23, 2023). ""Athletic Freak": Ross Develops Into Top-Ranked Recruit in Vestavia Hills' History". Over The Mountain Journal.
- ^ Victory, Dennis (August 15, 2023). "A-List No. 9: Vestavia Hills' Jordan Ross features attributes of elite defender". AL.com – via archive.today.
- ^ Vaughan, Charles (July 22, 2024). "Jordan Ross is 'in the game'". Vestavia Voice.
- ^ Salerno, Cameron (August 21, 2024). "Tennessee football recruiting: Five-star EDGE Jordan Ross commits, propelling Vols to top-10 class". CBS Sports.
- ^ Crowell, Evan (January 30, 2024). "Recruiting Service Offers Opinion On Jordan Ross". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Thomas, Ben (August 21, 2023). "Vestavia Hills' 5-star EDGE Jordan Ross picks Tennessee over Florida, others". AL.com.
- ^ Paschall, David (August 6, 2025). "Vols' Jordan Ross more mature, eager to show five-star ability". Chattanooga Times Free Press.
- ^ Paschall, David (August 2, 2024). "Five-star Jordan Ross not shying from Vols' depth at edge rusher". Chattanooga Times Free Press – via archive.today.
- ^ Sparks, Adam (August 1, 2024). "How Tennessee football coaches James Pearce drew five-star Jordan Ross to Vols". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ Cain, Eric (December 12, 2024). "Tennessee Vols well represented on Freshman All-SEC squad". On3.com.
- ^ Harralson, Dan (October 22, 2025). "Tennessee 'very pleased' with Jordan Ross through seven games in 2025". USA Today.