UNC Football: Kirk Herbstreit predicts breakout season for Josh Downs

Kirk Herbstreit predicts a breakout season for rising UNC football receiver Josh Downs

The 2021 North Carolina Tar Heels will be without their top two receivers from a season ago as Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown are now on NFL rosters. The pair of wide outs had outstanding collegiate careers, including a combined 3,835 yards and 37 touchdowns over their final two seasons in Chapel Hill.

Now, Mack Brown and the Tar Heels will look to a pair of up-and-comers in Josh Downs and Khafre Brown, as well as senior Beau Corrales and a handful of others, to fill the void left by their absence. Brown put together a nice season last year in a reserve role. The 6-foot, 185-pound Charlotte native caught 15 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns, so expectations for him are high this season.

It’s Downs, though, that’s catching more of the hype and media attention this offseason. Sure, he only had seven catches for 119 yards as a true freshman last year, but he converted three of his receptions into touchdowns, and showed more than enough promise to warrant the attention he’s getting.

And the latest vote of confidence for young Josh Downs came from one of the most respected voices in college football on Thursday when ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit called the true sophomore receiver a breakout star for the upcoming season.

https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1431076256259448833

Don’t let Downs’ stats from a season ago, or lackthereof, detract from his value to Sam Howell and the Tar Heels this year. After waiting behind one of the best wide receiver tandems in the country last year, Downs is ready to be the No. 1 receiver for a Heisman Trophy caliber quarterback and a team with College Football Playoff hopes. Expect Downs to get a lot of balls thrown his way in 2021, and don’t be surprised if you hear the announcers call his name a lot over the next five months.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Josh Downs, and everything UNC football.