100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #40 Ethan Downs By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: July 24, 2023

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 263

Class: Junior

Seasons at OU: 2

Hometown: Weatherford, OK

Previous School: Weatherford HS

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 backed that up by playing in all 13 games his freshman year. On a line full of upperclassmen, Downs was an energetic standout throughout the season and a Sooner fan favorite.

In 2022, Downs was a starter in every game of the season. He was known for his motor and how hard he worked throughout the year. Downs was the team-leader in TFL, ranking fourth in the Big 12, and tied for the team lead in sacks. Ethan earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the season.

Stats

Years: 2022 | 2021 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 13 | 26

Tackles: 38 | 14 | 52

TFL: 13.5 | 3 | 16.5

Sacks: 4.5 | 0.5 | 5

FF: 0 | 1 | 1

FR: 1 | 0 | 1

PBU: 3 | 0 | 3

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

After starting in 2022, Downs is likely to start again in 2023. In the Edge group, Sooners added Rondell Bothroyd and Trace Ford in the transfer portal, along with P.J. Adebawore from high school. Along with returning players Reggie Grimes and R Mason Thomas, this position group should have elevated competition in 2023 after a relatively quiet season last year. Ethan Downs was recently named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team, the only Sooner on the list, showing the big expectations put on the junior this year.