How Colorado State beat Power 5 programs to the punch for 4-star WR Jordan Ross

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Less than 24 hours had passed, but Jordan Ross was already very familiar with the question.

Why did the four-star wideout, ranked No. 280 in the 2024 class, commit to Colorado State of all places?

“I say the same thing every time: ‘I felt like home. Those dudes give me love, loyalty,’” said Ross, who plays at Warren High School in Downey. “That’s all I need from a college.”

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Ross made those comments shortly after he scored two touchdowns against Mater Dei in the Battle of the Beach passing tournament Saturday at Edison High School. His speed and explosiveness were apparent throughout the day as he caught several long touchdown passes, and he showed off his ball skills with an acrobatic catch on a two-point conversion earlier that morning.

On the final play Jordan Ross of Warren makes the greatest non-Super Bowl catch vs. Mater Dei.

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) July 1, 2023

Even though Ross’ stats (25 catches, 418 yards) weren’t eye-popping last season, all of his attributes make it clear why he’s rated as a four-star prospect.

So how did Colorado State — a program that has never signed a four-star in the modern recruiting era (dating back to 2002) — earn this commitment?

A good place to start is by taking a look at Chad Savage, the Rams wide receivers coach. Ross tweeted his commitment graphic at 5 p.m. PT on Friday. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence that Friday was also Savage’s birthday.

“He’s a young coach so he can connect with young athletes like me,” said Ross, who took an official visit to Colorado State a week before announcing his commitment. “He shows loyalty, love and dedication. He doesn’t let anybody down. He treats everybody the same. That’s what I love about a coach.”

Ross is far from the only one who has been impressed with Savage. The 29-year-old, who has been a full-time assistant for only three seasons, was singled out by several high school coaches in this Southern California recruiting story published in The Athletic in March.

“He’s one of the guys who’s the realest. Even with coaches, I can call him anytime,” said Warren coach Kevin Pearson, who’s coached Bryce Young and Nico Iamaleava. “It can be a Sunday night at 10 p.m. and he’s a grinder. He does things the right way.

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“When you do your research on a family and you know what’s important for them and you have a plan for them when they come, that’s pretty appealing.”

Pearson believes Ross took that visit to Fort Collins mainly out of respect for Savage and tight ends coach James Finley and had no intention of committing to Colorado State.

“So he came back and we talked and said, ‘Coach, I really like it,’” Pearson said. “I said: ‘You’re not dumb going where you’re loved. That’s what you’ve got to do as a young man. And if you feel comfortable and you feel like you’re going to go there and do your thing right away and that’s what you want, you don’t have to go to a Power 5 school.’”

There are other factors that played in Colorado State’s favor. It doesn’t hurt that head coach Jay Norvell has produced prolific passing games throughout his career, most recently at Nevada, where he developed Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.

Norvell’s staff has proved pretty adept at recruiting, too. Between the 2020 and 2022 recruiting cycles, the Rams signed just two players who ranked inside the top 1,000 nationally. In the 2023 class, Norvell’s first full cycle at Colorado State, the Rams signed three top-1,000 players — most notably Los Alamitos running back Damian Henderson (No. 472).

A few weeks ago, the Rams received a commitment from three-star Long Beach Poly quarterback Darius Curry, who did his part to recruit Ross to CSU.

And even though Ross is a four-star prospect, he’s still flying a bit under the radar. His freshman season was limited to five games due to the pandemic, and he missed six games last season, as a junior, because of a broken collarbone.

Ross said Michigan State and Oregon State were recruiting him pretty hard, but the local Power 5 schools, USC and UCLA, haven’t shown much interest.

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“These coaches are looking for an eight-minute highlight film,” Pearson said. “Well, shoot, his three minutes are pretty explosive. He just does special things.”

That’s the road that led Ross to Colorado State. Now the challenge will be staying the course. Power 5 programs undoubtedly will keep recruiting him. If Ross remains healthy in the fall, his production will likely rise and his recruiting profile will grow.

And even if he does sign with the Rams and is able to make an instant impact, Power 5 programs will likely come calling again. So even though Colorado State earned an important recruiting victory, the hard part is just beginning.

Ross isn’t thinking about any of that.

“I felt like a lot of relief and stress has been taken away,” he said. “I felt like I made the right move. I felt like this is the place for me. This is home right here, so I’ll take that and run with it.”

(Photo: Antonio Morales / The Athletic)