UNC Football: Tar Heel receiver named midseason All-American by ESPN

Josh Downs, UNC football sophomore and standout wide receiver, has been named a midseason All-American by ESPN.

Not much has gone right for the North Carolina football program this season, but among the things that have is the play of sophomore wide receiver Josh Downs. The Suwanee, Georgia native is putting up a historically great season for the Tar Heels over the first half of the season, and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Over the first six games of his second season in Chapel Hill, Downs has hauled in 49 receptions for 741 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s averaging 15.1 yards per catch, and is the undisputed No. 1 offensive option for North Carolina this year. Among his accomplishments this season is a stretch of six games in which he has at least eight catches and one touchdown in each. He’s got four games with more than 100 yards receiving, and a career-high 203 yards in the Tar Heels’ 59-39 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers in week 3.

Downs has been getting plenty of recognition for his incredible season, not only locally but from a national standpoint as well. ESPN recently named him a midseason All-American along with USC junior receiver Drake London. ESPN senior writer Mark Schlabach had the following to say about North Carolina’s budding star:

"“Downs is still working his magic in the Tar Heels’ disappointing start. He leads the ACC with 49 receptions and 741 receiving yards. He is the first FBS player to have at least eight receptions and a touchdown in six straight games since Fresno State’s Davante Adams, who did it in nine consecutive games in 2013. Downs has a touchdown catch in seven straight games going back to last season’s Capital One Orange Bowl. He has 451 yards after the catch, most among Power 5 players, and 162 more than London, who is second.”"

Downs is currently on pace to break Ryan Switzer’s record of 96 catches back in 2016. His 123.5 receiving yards per game put him on pace for 1,482 for the season, which would put him well past Hakeem Nicks’ 2008 record of 1,222. He’s also pacing for 14 touchdowns in 12 games, which would catapult him past Nicks, Dwight Jones and Dyami Brown — all of whom notched 12 receiving touchdowns in their respective record-setting seasons.

We’ll see Downs take the field on Saturday afternoon when the Tar Heels take on the Miami Hurricanes at Kenan Memorial Stadium.

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