Michigan Wolverines football redshirt junior linebacker Josh Ross is not taking anything for granted this season if he gets the opportunity to play. He suffered an injury in the Big Ten opener at Wisconsin last year, and only appeared in one more game (the Citrus Bowl) so that he could preserve a redshirt.

Although it was difficult to watch his team play from the sidelines, he learned a lot through the experience.

"It was so difficult, especially early on," Ross told Jon Jansen on the In The Trenches Podcast. "A lot of emotions go into that. This is a season of my life.

"I [was] planning to have the best year I possibly can have. It happened so sudden, something that I can’t control happened to me … It was definitely a lot of emotions that went into that, but at the same time, I’m so glad I went through that experience, as far as kind of being humbled a little bit, in a certain way. And also, taking a step back and watching film differently, watching everybody, helping my teammates out, helping [redshirt sophomore linebacker] Cam McGrone out, helping [Jordan] Glasgow out while they’re on the field. Watching what they’re doing from outside in, instead of being on the field.

"So, it just made me kind of look at things a little bit differently, and of course the mindset that any play could be your last play, so you gotta give it everything you got every single play you go out there. It was a lot of emotions, but I’m so glad I went through that experience. It helped me grow as a person, as a man, that I am today."

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A much more appreciative Ross is amped up and ready to go if given the opportunity to play in 2020, after knowing what it's like to take time off from the game.

"Man, I’m itching to get out there, and my teammates are itching, too," Ross said. "Hopefully we can have a season. But, just to go out there with my brothers and ball out. Any play, honestly, can be your last. And, there’s nothing as fun as being out there with your brothers, while you’re flying to the ball and doing your job, doing what you’re supposed to do. It’s so exciting, man.

"This year can be a really, really, really big year for us, and I just can’t wait to go out there and ball with my brothers. I’m so excited."

He feels the defense will be a big reason for the Wolverines having a big year, and he hopes they can play championship-level football throughout the entirety of the shortened season.

"Every single guy on that field is a go-getter," Ross said. "They’re going to go get it by any means. You’ve got [senior cornerback] Ambry Thomas, you’ve got Cam McGrone, you’ve got [senior defensive end] Kwity Paye, you’ve got [junior end] Aidan Hutchinson. You’ve got all these guys that we’ve [gone through] so much together.

"Now, it’s like, let’s just go out there and ball. We’ve seen it all; we’ve honestly seen it all. We’ve played with some of the best players and played against some of the best teams, but let’s go out there and show these guys what we are really capable of. We’ve got a team full of go-getters, and I can’t wait to show people what we can really do. Hopefully, we can have a season. But, I’m not really thinking about all that kind of stuff. I’m thinking about getting as good as I can, my teammates getting as good as we can."

Ross' goals for himself this season don't involve any numbers or stats. He just wants to showcase his abilities and win for Michigan.

"For myself, right now, I don’t have really any set or written down type of goals for this season," he said. "But at the end of the day, I honestly just want to go out there and show my talents because I know what work I’ve put in during quarantine, I know what work my teammates have put in during quarantine and I know what work we’re putting in when we got back for our voluntary workouts.

"I just want to go out there and show the world how good Josh Ross is, and set the standard and show them how good our defense is and what we’re capable of, because I feel like we haven’t really reached our full potential in year’s past. We can do it this year, for sure."

As an in-state player, the matchup with Michigan State (currently scheduled for Oct. 10) is important for Ross. The Wolverines have beaten the Spartans in three of four matchups, and they're not looking to give Paul Bunyan back anytime soon.

"It means so much, man," Ross said. "Honestly, it’s nothing like it. I’m not going to say 'nothing', but it’s not a lot of things like those guys up there in East Lansing. Just living in Michigan, having my brother go to Michigan, being a Michigan fan for most of my life, beating Michigan State means so much to me. And, I know it means so much to the guys on my team, because we have a strong hate for those guys.

"We always want to beat those guys, every single time we get on the field. It’s never going to be nice, never going to be happy, but those guys are always on our list that we’re going to go get, every single year."

The Ohio State rivalry, on the other hand, has gone the way of the Buckeyes in eight straight years. Ross believes the Wolverines can snap the losing streak if they're all on the same page and stay composed.

"At the end of the day, it’s all about being cohesive as a unit as we possibly can be in that game," Ross said. "Everybody’s [got to be] knowing what each other is thinking.

"But at the end of the day, I feel like a lot of past years in that big game, we’ve gotten too high in the wrong moments, and we’ve got too low in the absolute wrong moments. It’s about being even-keeled and going in there and doing your job and playing for your teammates. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low, but just go get it, regardless."

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