Josh Downs

BIOGRAPHY

Josh Downs was born August 12, 2001, in Suwanee, Georgia. He is a wide receiver in the NFL.

Solidified as the Tar Heels' top receiver after his record-setting sophomore season, Downs is once again a featured piece in the Tar Heel offense. He was named to the preseason All-ACC team at the wide receiver and specialist (punt returner) positions, and was selected to the preseason AP All-American second-team at the wide receiver position.

In the season opener against FAMU, Downs recorded 9 catches for 78 yards and two scores. On his final catch of the game, Downs was injured and missed the next two games against Appalachian State and Georgia State. He returned against Notre Dame, and caught 5 passes for 32 yards and two touchdowns in the Tar Heels' 45–32 loss. Against Miami, Downs caught another touchdown pass, moving him into to a tie for tenth place all time in Carolina history with 16 receiving touchdowns. He continued to post solid statistics the rest of the regular season, recording four games with 11-plus receptions, and recording another 1,000 yard receiving season. Against Wake Forest, he caught three touchdown passes, moving him to second all-time behind Quinshad Davis for UNC career touchdown receptions with 22. In what was his final game as a Tar Heel, the 2022 ACC Championship Game against Clemson, Downs caught 11 passes for 100 yards in the 39–10 loss to the Tigers.

Downs finished his Carolina career with 2,483 receiving yards (the fourth most in school history), 202 career receptions (third most at UNC), and multiple school records at the wide receiver position. He declared for the NFL draft following conference championship week, opting out of the Holiday Bowl in the process.