*Josh Downs, North Carolina Football News: Draft Scout Player News

07/25/22 - WR *Josh Downs, Jr/2023, North Carolina

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." - Raleigh News Observer

Jr/2023