On an offense with many questions, UNC WR Josh Downs only definitive answer for Heels
North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs strolled into the main ballroom of ACC Kickoff media day in an off-white suit he picked from several options mailed to him by the clothing store Express.
Playing the role of star player comes with looking the part, too. And frankly, who else is going to do it for the Tar Heels this season?
They’re breaking in a new quarterback after three-year starter Sam Howell left for the NFL. Their new starting running back is a former walk-on with just one career start to his credit. Their offensive line looks to replace four players from its rotation last season.
Carolina enters the season with a lot of unknowns on offense, and Downs is the only definitive answer.
“We played a few teams last year, and their defensive coordinator would come up to me and tell me that their game plan was to stop me,” Downs said. “So I feel like a lot of people, when they look at our offense, their main goal may be to stop me. But if that is their main goal, we have other guys that can step up.”
Downs set school records with the most single-season receptions (101) and yardage (1,335) and fell one game short of tying the school record of nine consecutive games with a touchdown held by Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice.
If Downs comes anywhere close to replicating last season, the junior from Suwanee, Ga., could have a chance to turn pro, although he said that’s far from on his mind right now.
“I’m not really just looking forward to going to the league next January, I’m just focused on the season,” Downs said. “We have a big task at hand. We got a lot of people to prove wrong. And if we if we don’t play up to our ability, and if I don’t play up to my ability, none of this matters.”
A year ago, Downs was just another player vying to fill voids left by Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown. By the time Downs torched Virginia in the third game of last season with eight catches for 203 yards and two scores, the rest of the ACC realized he was the most explosive player on the Heels’ offense.
And they still couldn’t stop him.
Downs had eight or more receptions in 11 of UNC’s 13 games last season. His lowest totals came with just four catches against Wake Forest and three in their bowl loss to South Carolina.
“I just noticed some more double teams, that was pretty much the main thing,” Downs said. “I got caught in the slot a lot last year, so I didn’t get to move around a lot. So a lot of the times, I was I was stuck in the double team and I would get frustrated.”
The Heels plan on moving him around a lot more in order to counter the attention Downs draws and prevent opponents from being able to double team him.
“When you put him in the slot all the time, it’s easy to double cover and he’s by far the best player at receiver but also probably on your team,” UNC coach Mack Brown said. “We’re going to move him around so he’ll be in the backfield. He’ll be out wide either side. So we’re not going to allow people to lock up their best player on him or double cover him the entire game.”
Downs developed a chemistry with Howell that he believes can be duplicated regardless of who earns the starting job this season.
As a freshman, Downs said he spent more time catching passes from Jacolby Criswell while playing on the second team offense in practice than he spent time with Howell.
A year and half into Drake Maye’s career and Downs said he’s become accustomed to him, too.
“Just like Sam came in that first game against South Carolina, nobody knew it was gonna happen because he was a true freshman,” Downs said. “It could have went well it could have went left, but it went right. So I feel like it’s the same type of atmosphere with Jacolby and Drake and I feel like it’s gonna go to a similar way with them.”
Brown has encouraged Downs to take a greater leadership role on the team as an upperclassman. Running back British Brooks said Downs has always been a talker, but now he’s turned it into being a teacher.
“Josh has definitely been more vocal, and we’ve been on him about that as we get older and younger people don’t know the ropes,” Brooks said. “He’s really stepped up into a role that we need him to be.”
That role could be even bigger on the field as the Heels turn the page from the Howell era.
“Everybody knows when they thought of North Carolina last year, they thought of Sam Howell,” Downs said. “So I feel like this year it’s kind of like we’re back to square one. We’re just proving ourselves.”
This story was originally published July 22, 2022 at 6:10 AM with the headline "On an offense with many questions, UNC WR Josh Downs only definitive answer for Heels."