3 things to know about UNC football WR Josh Downs
North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs is coming off a breakout sophomore season with 101 receptions for 1,335 yards and eight touchdowns earning him first-team All-ACC honors.
With senior wideout Antoine Greene sidelined with a collarbone injury to begin the season, Downs is likely to put up big numbers on the receiving end of freshman quarterback Drake Maye's passing.
Here are three things to know about Downs:
NC State connection
Downs' father, Gary, was a running back at NC State and played six seasons in the NFL after being selected in the third round of the 1994 draft by the New York Giants.
He is currently the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach at East Tennessee State.
Gary, who led the Wolfpack in rushing as a senior and finished with 1,036 yards from scrimmage, often coached Josh during youth football games.
He steered Josh toward his alma mater, but the younger Downs ultimately decided to team up with quarterback Sam Howell at UNC, where another close relative held a spot on staff.
Dre Bly, the UNC cornerbacks coach who starred for the Tar Heels as the only player in ACC history to earn first-team All-American honors his first three seasons, is Gary's brother-in-law and Josh's uncle, so the UNC-NCSU rivalry is baked into the family.
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Baby brother is a big prospect
Josh's younger brother Caleb is the No. 1-ranked safely in the Class of 2023.
He received offers from more than 30 programs, including UNC, Ohio State, Georgia and Notre Dame, and he announced his commitment to Alabama in late July.
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Caleb is a 6-foot, 185-pound senior at Georgia's Mill Creek High, and he's ranked 13th overall nationally in his class, according to 247Sports Composite.
Shining in the spotlight
A four-star prospect from North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, Josh Downs wasn't the biggest star invited to the 2020 All-American Bowl in San Antonio, high school football's annual all-star game.
But he put up the biggest numbers.
Downs' nine-catch, 120-yard performance gave him even more confidence heading into fall camp at UNC, and he rode that momentum into a solid freshman season, ending it on a high point with four catches for 91 yards, including a 75-yarder, in UNC's Orange Bowl loss to Texas A&M.
Those were two of the biggest games so far in the career of the 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver, and he stepped up both times.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: 3 things to know about UNC football WR Josh Downs
