STARKVILLE — Fred Ross was supposed to be off limits in practice.
After having groin surgery that forced him to miss spring practice, the Mississippi State wide receiver was limited during training camp. He wore a red jersey, indicating that he was not supposed to be hit or tackled during drills or scrimmage.
But senior cornerback Tolando Cleveland brought him down one day in practice.
“I caught a pass and he was really going for the ball,” Ross said. “He kind of gave me a shoulder and it knocked me down. I tapped him on the head and he was like, ‘My bad.’ I was like, ‘No, I want to get hit.'”
Ross is ready for more contact and was hopeful that MSU football coach Dan Mullen would allow him to be hit in practice this week. Ross and MSU plays host to South Alabama 11 a.m. Saturday (SEC Network) at Davis Wade Stadium.
Ross, who watched from the sidelines during spring, got back to work during the summer. At Southeastern Conference Media Days in July, Ross said he was pretty healthy and expected to be fully healthy by the time training camp arrived. He said he finally felt 100 percent last week. He was able to jump cut and make different cuts that he wasn’t able to do since the procedure. Last week, Ross asked Mullen if he could remove the red jersey and participate fully in practice, but Mullen decided to keep him in the red jersey at least one more week.
Ross went through some drills, but was held back to make sure he didn’t injure himself further, causing him to miss time early in the season. But a month of training camp with little to do wasn’t all that exciting for Ross.
“I didn’t like sitting over there watching practice,” the senior said. “It was pretty boring. It was hard watching my teammates, the receivers go out there and work hard. I wanted to go out there with them.”
The Tyler, Texas, native led the SEC and set a school record with 88 catches for 1,007 yards and five touchdowns last season. He earned All-SEC first team honors by the league’s coaches.
The big season has led to preseason recognition for Ross. He was named to preseason All-SEC teams by ESPN (first team), Phil Steele (first team), media (second team) and Athlon Sports (second team). He was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list, given to the top receiver, and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list, given to the top collegiate player with Texas ties.
Even though Ross wants to participate in everything, co-offensive coordinator and wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales has been easing Ross in slowly.
“He wants to go, go, go, go, go regardless of the situation,” Gonzales said. “My responsibility is to make sure he’s ready to go and that we’re not wearing him out.”
With the losses of quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receivers De’Runnya Wilson and Fred Brown, Ross has taken on more of a leadership role and will be a focal point of the offense.
Even after the big season he had last year, Ross is not satisfied. Gonzales said the best thing about Ross is his desire to perfect his craft every day.
“(One day) at practice he did a 1-on-1 and he kind of slipped,” Gonzales recalled. “We had that same play and it was during a team period. He heard me call the play and he grabbed Gabe (Myles) and said, ‘Coach, I want it. I’ve got to get that rep again.'”
Gonzales said the one intangible that separates the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Ross is his work ethic. Mullen has also seen that work ethic and feels like that sets a good example for a young team.
“I think he’s going to be very, very successful throughout his career and beyond Mississippi State because of his work ethic,” Mullen said. “He knows everyone of the receiver positions, he’s constantly working on his technique and fundamentals, constantly working on catching the football and trying to get better every single day.”
Mullen said Ross will play all the wide receiver positions, something Ross said he is comfortable with.
With very little contact since last season’s Belk Bowl, Ross is hoping that Mullen lets him loose against the Jaguars. He is also hopeful he gets to play the entire game, but the Bulldogs will more than likely have it in hand at halftime, allowing Mullen to get younger players in there.
Whatever the situation, Ross is excited to get back on the field and is ready to welcome the contact that will come his way.
“I’m anxious, I can’t wait. Hopefully I deliver the hit instead of getting hit,” Ross said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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