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As expected, North Carolina receiver Josh Downs announced Friday morning he is forgoing his final two years of eligibility and entering the 2023 NFL Draft. In addition, Downs is opting out of the Holiday Bowl to focus on training for the next level.

Downs posted the news on Twitter, thanking his coaches and family. He does so after posting consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. He is just the second Tar Heel to ever accomplish that, and he didn’t so this fall despite missing two games.

Downs finished with 94 receptions for 1,029 yards and 11 touchdowns this season, and in 2021, he set UNC single-season marks with 101 receptions and 1,335 yards. He caught eight touchdown passes as a sophomore.

“Everything,” Downs replied after UNC’s loss to Clemson in the ACC championship game Saturday night Charlotte, when asked what North Carolina means to him. “When I was in high school, I was a smaller guy…

“They believed in me, and Coach (Lonnie), Coach (Phil) Longo, and Coach Mack (Brown), they never changed on me. Carolina means the world to me.”

Downs caught 10 or more passes in four games this season, including a three-game stretch in which he hauled in 37 passes, which is an ACC record for that span. That was part of a four-game sequence in which the 5-foot-10, 180-pounder passes the 1000-yard mark as well.

In fact, Downs had 100 or more yards receiving in six of the 11 games he played this season, and 11 times in the last two campaigns. His single-game high is 203 yards versus Virginia in 2021.

Downs making this decision does not come as a surprise, and it something he hinted at following the loss in Charlotte. He stayed on the field after the game ended, hanging out with his family. It appeared Downs was soaking in the moment.

“I’d say a little bit, yeah,” he said. “My family was out there; my dad and my mom, my brother and sister. They don’t get to all come to my games together, so it was a big moment in the ACC championship. Having my family out there, (I) couldn’t ask for anything else.”

The Georgia native’s career numbers: 202 receptions; 2,483 yards; 22 TDs; 26 punt returns for 289 yards.

Downs is generally projected as a second-round selection, and is among the top six receivers available in the coming draft.