The Football Brainiacs

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 263

Class: Sophomore

Seasons at OU: 1

Hometown: Weatherford, OK

The Path to Norman

Ethan Downs played high school ball in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He played all over the field on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. A top 200 recruit, Downs’ offer list included LSU, Penn State, Texas, and Texas A&M. However, he became the first defensive commit in the 2021 OU class in the fall of 2019.

https://twitter.com/ethandowns40/status/1182112814707679232

Career so Far

Word was extremely high on Downs before his first season even began. He proved why by playing in all 13 games of his freshman year. On a line full of upperclassmen, Downs was an energetic standout throughout the season and a Sooner fan favorite.

Stats

Year: 2021

Games Played: 13

Tackles: 14

TFL: 3

Sacks: 0.5

FF: 1

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

Ethan Downs. That's it. That's the tweet.#OUDNA | #SpeedD pic.twitter.com/C02czYNHuS

— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆 𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) September 13, 2021

This was one hell of an effort by Ethan Downs.

Also, when keeping it real goes wrong by the RB. 😂#SpeedD x @ethandowns40 https://t.co/vqAO4JDcpX

— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆 𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) September 12, 2021

This Season

Many will benefit from the new defensive coaching at Oklahoma; Downs is certainly one to watch. TFB has reported Downs as one of the leaders of the teams (for more on Downs, check out his interview with James Hale).

In Depth With Ethan Downs | Earning It

The defensive end starters look likely to be Reggie Grimes and Downs, with Marcus Stripling and Jonah Laulu also serving key roles. In what feels like a fresh start for Oklahoma football defense, Ethan Downs could be one of the centerpieces in 2022.