Michigan Football Signee Bio: LB Joshua Ross

• At Nike’s The Opening, Ross recorded a 4.84-second 40-yard dash and a 4.36-second 20-yard shuttle. He also recorded a 31.4-inch vertical jump and recorded a 35.5-foot power throw. Ross earned a Nike+ Football Rating of 89.79 from those results.

• Tallied 142 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one interception as a senior. On offense, he carried the ball 45 times for 244 yards and also caught 12 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.

• Recorded 173 tackles, including 22 for a loss, as a junior. He also forced nine forced fumbles, notched eight sacks and snared three interceptions.

• Made 123 tackles as a sophomore.

• Recorded 35 tackles and an interception as a freshman.

• Helped St. Mary’s to three consecutive Division III State Championships his last three years in high school.

• 2016 MaxPreps All-America second-team linebacker; he was also a first-team Junior All-American in 2015, and a second-team pick on the sophomore team in 2014 and on the freshman team in 2013.

• Named the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year for Michigan in 2016.

• USA Today All-USA Michigan first-team linebacker as a senior.

• Named to the Detroit News All-State Dream Team in 2015 and 2016.

• Named to the MLive Detroit Football Dream Team in 2015 and 2016.

• Named to the Detroit Free Press Dream Team in 2015 and 2016.

• 2016 MLive Defensive Player of the Year.

• Came in at No. 3 on the Detroit News Blue Chip List and Detroit Free Press Fab 50 as a senior.

• MaxPreps 2015 Divisions 3-4 Player of the Year.

• Attended the Rivals Camp Series Cleveland in 2015 and Columbus in 2016.

• Was invited to the Rivals250 Underclassmen Challenge in 2014.

• Attended Nike’s The Opening regional camp in Chicago in 2016.

• Was invited to Nike’s The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore., in 2016.

• Traveled to the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii, Jan. 21, but did not participate.

• Attended the Rivals Camp Series Cleveland in 2015 and Columbus in 2016.

• Was invited to the Rivals250 Underclassmen Challenge in 2014.

• Attended Nike’s The Opening regional camp in Chicago in 2016.

• Was invited to Nike’s The Opening Finals in Beaverton, Ore., in 2016.

• Traveled to the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii, Jan. 21, but did not participate.

• Born Oct. 31.

• His brother, James Ross III, was a four-year letterman at Michigan from 2012-2015.

Ross is another player with all of the tools to succeed early at Michigan. With only young, unproven players ahead of him on the roster, Ross could get a look at linebacker during his freshman year. His instincts, athleticism, work ethic and intelligence may be enough to catapult him to Michigan captain status before his college career is over, and it will all start with playing time as a true freshman.

Orchard Lake (Mich.) St. Mary’s Head Coach George Porritt: “[Older brother James and Josh] have a little bit of similarities, especially the instinctive play. Josh can play a little bit more out of his range. I think Josh, from early on, made some great range plays, dropping into coverage, intercepting the ball out of his zones and stuff like that. He’s a little bit ahead of James there. His instincts and toughness are a lot like what we saw out of James, though. He’s such an instinctive player, aggressive player. He locates the ball very, very well. That’s the kind of player he is, and he’s been doing it since his freshman year.”

Rivals.com Midwest Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt: "I’ll say off the top, my prediction is that Josh is going to have a better college career than James. Even though they are actually rated very similarly, I just think Josh got a huge benefit in seeing what James went through. He had a chance to learn from his brother’s career at Michigan and knows some of the missteps. From a measurables standpoint, Josh is a better fit for the position. He’s taller and more importantly, he’s longer. He has longer arms and he plays with greater range. The aspect of James’ game that always stood out was how instinctive he was. He had such a great feel for the game. Josh has a lot of that too, but I don’t think it’s quite on the level as James. Josh has very good linebacker instincts, but James was just ultra-instinctive. Josh has better size and what he brings to the table physically is on a higher level."