Portal Profile: Tennessee EDGE Jordan Ross

By Hunt Palmer

LSU’s 2025 defensive end crop was essentially a rental.

After losing Bradyn Swinson and Sai’vion Jones to the NFL and Da’Shawn Womack to Ole Miss, LSU’s coaching staff went into the portal and grabbed Jack Pyburn, Patrick Payton and Jimari Butler for their final seasons of eligibility.

Those departures leave a void on the edge for Kevin Peoples and the Tiger defense. Jordan Ross is the headliner in trying to fill it.

WHAT WE KNOW

Ross was a monster recruit when he signed with the Vols in 2024. He was a top 10 player in the country by On3 and 247sports. Both ranked him the best EDGE in the class and a five star.

He’s got great size at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. The statistics have not matched the hype yet.

In two seasons on Rocky Top, Ross has totaled 26 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack and a half in 21 games.

The athleticism is obvious. He blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown in his college debut. One of his sacks came chasing down Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green who is a great athlete.

JORDAN ROSS.

punt block + TD!

📺 @SECNetwork
📲 https://t.co/1XZqUWvL04 pic.twitter.com/C1ZEFWcypr

— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) August 31, 2024

Still, there’s a gap between the size, the pedigree and the production thus far.

The question with Ross becomes, was it lack of playmaking or lack of playing time? He played 249 snaps in 11 games, an average of 22.6 snaps per game.

Pro Football Focus graded him a 77.2 on defense including an 81.1 in pass rushing. Those are elite numbers. On 132 pass rush reps, Ross created 13 pressures and nine hurries.

THE FIT

LSU doesn’t return much in the way of proven play on the edge. Gabriel Reliford was highly thought of entering the season, but he got hurt.

Damien Shanklin, Dylan Carpenter and Kolaj Cobbins are relative unknowns. Ross is very likely a starter. Jaylen Brown from South Carolina will battle with the other returners for time.

I’ve written multiple times about LSU’s struggles creating a pass rush in 2025. That simply has to change for the Tigers to compete for anything of significance in 2026.

HUNT’S PROJECTION

I think Ross may double his snap count from 2025. That should bring increased production. If I had to place a wager on LSU’s sack leader in the fall, it would be Ross.

I don’t think he’ll have 10 or 11, but I could see a five-sack season with five or six more tackles for loss. I think he’s the Day 1 starter on one edge, and if LSU’s defense takes another step forward under Blake Baker, Ross will be a huge part of that.

The evaluators weren’t wrong when they pegged Ross as a five-star talent. It’s now just a matter of channeling that athleticism into an all-conference level player. Peoples’s job is to make that happen.