Clemson Football: 3 Tigers who could replace Justyn Ross as No. 1 receiver

1. Frank Ladson Jr., another Clemson football sophomore sensation

Like Joe Ngata, Frank Ladson Jr. came in as one of the top playmakers at the wide receiver position in the 2019 recruiting class. He was one of the three wide receivers recruited by the Tigers in 2019 and like Ngata, he was a four-star receiver.

Ladson was ranked the No. 39 overall recruit and the seventh-best wide out, per the composite.

Justyn Ross was a dominant receiver regardless of alignment on the outside or slot receiver in the previous two seasons at Clemson. Ladson was a playmaker as an outside receiver and a slot receiver. He made a significant impact in his true freshman season.

In that freshman season, Ladson caught nine passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns. The only time he caught more than one pass in a game was in the Tigers’ 52-3 win over Wake Forest.

Like Rodgers, Ladson is a dangerous and elusive runner after catching the ball. What makes him unique is the ability to run after catch the ball from passes over 10-15 yards. He lacks the dangerous speed to beat speedy lockdown cornerbacks despite his 6-3, 190-pound frame.

Ladson does possess the reliability and the vertical jump to beat defensive backs on contested coverages. He could find himself in the same role that Ross played in the past two seasons as a versatile threat receiver.