Before the 10 mid-year enrollees for Oklahoma’s 2021 class arrived on campus in January, SoonerScoop.com caught up with a bunch of them for one last interview.
It was a wild, crazy recruiting ride for the 2021 class because of COVID-19 altering things like never before, but they’re all in Norman now and ready to get to work.
Welcome to OU – Ethan Downs.
It was always the dream for Downs to end up with the Sooners, and once he made his commitment, he never looked back.
What he did have questions about, though, was whether or not to enroll early and get started on realizing that dream a few months earlier than anticipated.
Downs was pretty consistent during the summer and fall about saying he wasn’t going to leave high school early, but the OU guarantee triumphed over everything else.
“Nothing was guaranteed because of COVID,” Downs said. “Every week our coach would call us and let us know what’s what and to make the best of every moment.
“I wanted to stay for track, but track isn’t guaranteed. Even being in school in person isn’t guaranteed. I know OU is. I figured the earlier I could get enrolled and get on a diet and get healthy and fast, the better.”
What that meant was kicking it into overdrive for Downs to be able to leave early. He was good to go for OU, but he needed a super-cram session to complete his time at Weatherford.
Because of how late he decided to do things, he had complete three spring online classes in the span of 17 days before Christmas break. Done and done, and Downs was able to be a Sooner.
“Ethan was a big get,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “He came up to camp here about a year-and-a-half here and he really put on a show. We really loved his tape to begin with and he came to camp and really just pushed us over the top with the physicality, the effortless athleticism and then you saw a real natural pass-rush ability that was just very apparent.”
That’s the kind of dedication Downs has always shown, whether it’s on the field or off the field. His senior season was a huge leap in terms of leadership and a huge chance to truly show what he can do as a player.
Downs had always been one to play within the system. Do his job and let everything else take care of itself.
This last season, though, time to make some plays.
“The coaches gave me freer reign,” Downs said. “If there was a pass rushing call, they were telling me go get the ball, get the sack, get the quarterback. I had the confidence this year to apply everything and be aggressive and be fast.”
As good as he was on the field, Downs made his mark off the field, too. He took a lot of pride in being the leader the younger guys could look up to, and it’s something Riley absolutely noticed, too.
“Then you get to know the quality of the kid – this is a guy who does great in school, this is a guy who does so many different organizations, helping young children, helping people all over the place, different charitable organizations, community service projects,” Riley said. “He always has something going on, something positive. I love the vibe of this kid.”
When it comes to Downs, the big question has been his position. He understood that, too. Was he someone who could stay outside and be a rusher? Could he put on the weight and move inside and be a force there?
“They told me they want to start me with Coach Thibs, and then we’ll go from there. Depending on the weight and what I pick up and what I don’t, depending where my body goes with everything. I’m 240 pounds. Can I be 270-280 and still be as fast as I am now? We’re going to find out. I can’t wait to get on the diet plan.”
Downs is one of two in-state signees, and coincidentally enough, Downs is rooming with Choctaw’s Jordan Mukes. The two didn’t get to grow to be great friends, at least in person, because of COVID-19. But they did develop a great bond, and the common thread seems to be their mindset.
“He’s got a competitive edge to him,” Downs said. “He wants to be in the weight room all the time like I do. I want to be in the same boat and surround myself with people like that.”
