Ethan Downs has been a popular breakout candidate this spring ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 season. The sophomore edge flashed in limited opportunities last fall. In his second year with the program, Downs is in the midst of a position battle at defensive end with Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas off to the NFL.
Downs is competing with fellow edge rushers Reggie Grimes, Clayton Smith, Jonah Laulu, and Marcus Stripling for snaps. To hear tackle Wanya Morris tell it, Ethan Downs just might see the breakout performance that people are expecting.
#Sooners tackle Wanya Morris had some blunt advice to anybody lining up across sophomore DE Ethan Downs:
“You know when you go against Ethan he’s gonna give his best, so you’ve gotta give your best, or else he’s going to embarrass you.”
— Lee Benson (@LeeBensonNews9) April 6, 2022
Meeting with the media, Wanya Morris shared his thoughts on Ethan Downs via SI. “You’re gonna get the same guy everyday. He works hard everyday. He’s going to bring the same energy and mentality everyday,” Morris said. “You know when you go against Ethan he’s gonna give his best, so you’ve gotta give your best or he’s going to embarrass you.”
With an expected increase in playing time there are going to be several tackles that look foolish this season if they go into a game against Ethan Downs unprepared.
Getting high praise from one of the guys that figures into the right tackle competition should get people excited about what may come for Ethan Downs.
The losses of Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas to the NFL leaves more than 1,000 edge snaps available to the young guys and Ethan Downs looks poised to make his mark on the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners.
Last season, Downs appeared in 13 games and logged 224 snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, he created 13 pressures, which was good for seventh on the roster.
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