Josh Downs reacts to becoming an All-ACC selection for second time

North Carolina’s star wide receiver Josh Downs is an All-ACC selection for the second time in as many seasons. After being notified of his achievement on Wednesday, the junior wide receiver from Suwanee, GA, gave his reaction to the news and thanked his quarterback Drake Maye in the process.

“Honestly, it’s just a blessing. Last year, I was first seen all ACC too, and this year I got it again,” said Downs. “So, it’s just a tremendous blessing to just be able to have those accolades to my name. And all the work I’ve put in it’s kind of paying off, and other people are recognizing it. I’m definitely proud of that.

“Having a quarterback like Drake on the first-team speaks for itself. I don’t know what other accolades he won, but he will probably win a lot more nationally and in the conference. Having him in the backfield at quarterback is a big influence, and without him, I couldn’t do it. Just seeing a few of the guys like Ced (Cedric Gray) made first-team, too; Storm (Duck) made second-team… It’s a group effort, but individual guys made a lot of plays as well. I’m proud of those guys and proud of myself.”

Downs is enjoying another stellar year at North Carolina and is making a strong case to be the top receiver selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, should he choose to come out early. Downs leads the team in receptions (83), yards (929), and touchdowns (11). to the naked eye, it might appear as if he is having a down year following last season’s 101 receptions and 1335-year performance. However, apartments have to be made to the rest of the offense for stepping up in a big way and providing Maye with more options than just Downs.

Maye named ACC Player of the Year

North Carolina redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Maye has been named the 2022 ACC Player of the Year.

Maye led the Tar Heels to a 9-3 regular season, clinching a Coastal Division title and is set to take on Clemson this weekend for the ACC Championship. Under Maye’s leadership, the legacy gunslinger led the country in individual total offense.

On the season, Maye has thrown for 3,847 yards and 35 touchdowns with 629 yards rushing and six more scores. Throughout the season, he was named ACC Player of the Week a conference-high six times along with being named the ACC Rookie of the Week five times.

He is just the ninth FBS quarterback since 2010 to post 3,500 passing yards, 35 passing TDs, 500 rushing yards, and five rushing TDs in a season.