Joshua Downs is turning heads

ROME, Ga. – Class of 2020 wide receiver Joshua Downs may not be the biggest wideout in the Peach State, but the North Gwinnett High School standout puts up huge numbers. Last season the 5-foot-10 sophomore had 70 catches for 1200 yards and 12 touchdowns.

When asked about his season, Downs smiled and said, “They threw to me a lot.”

While his response may have been understated, Downs recruitment is not. In fact, it’s taking off just like his long jump and triple jump, two events in which he qualified for the state championship despite his youth. “Oregon and Louisville offered yesterday, Michigan and Iowa State were the day before,” Downs said. “Then West Virginia was Monday and North Carolina offered last Thursday. I got Rutgers and Kentucky a few weeks ago.”

His production on the field has coaches looking past his height.

“I mean, so for my size, I'm like 5'10, usually schools don't like that, they're questionable about receivers who are my height,” Downs said. “But these schools just believe in me.”

Downs is on the Georgia Bulldogs’ radar as well.

“I've talked to Kirby Smart about two months ago and he was just talking to me about coming out to visit,” Downs said. “He was looking at me, and my dad is good friends with Dell McGee so they talk about me sometimes.”

Smart invited Downs to come to Georgia’s prospect camp this summer. The wideout said he likely would do so considering how close Athens is to his home. If he picked up an offer at the camp, Downs said it would mean a lot to him.

“That's my hometown school. I mean, of course it would be high on my list,” Downs said. “My uncle, Olten Downs, used to coach there, so I used to talk to him a lot when he was there.”

Timeframe: “There's not really a time frame. If I go to a school and I'm thinking about another school—that's the school I need to be at.”

Other schools of interest: “Nebraska, Ohio State, Syracuse, I talked to Syracuse right at the hotel a few hours ago—and Florida State a little bit.”

Various Pitches: “West Virginia, they want me to play like Tavon Austin. They just want to use me like that. North Carolina, they want to use me like Ryan Switzer. Iowa State, they want me to play as a freshman, their coach is talking about how they've got a void in the position, so he was just like, ‘We need you that year.’ And Michigan, they've been looking at me for about a year now and they're just, their whole coaching staff, they've just been pouring in to me. And Oregon, I called their coach yesterday and he was talking about how they really liked me.”