Devante Downs, Cal football early enrollee

Mountlake Terrace athlete Devante Downs has enrolled early at Cal and could play soon if he fully heals up from his injuries.

By Avinash Kunnath@avinashkunnath Feb 5, 2014, 3:30am PST

Must Reads

Complete CGB National Signing Day recruiting coverage

Must Reads

Complete CGB National Signing Day coverage

Devante Downs is already a California Golden Bear. The 6’3, 230 pound Mountlake Terrace (Wa.) athlete is Cal’s lone Army All-American this year, and he might be one of the Bears who gets a chance to contribute in his freshman season.

Downs is one of those guys who can play at a boatload of positions, and might have the potential to play on both sides of the competition. His primary asset is his versatility, which is why he’s classified as an athlete by the majority of recruiting services. His primary position will be linebacker, where immediate help is needed.

Downs already signed a financial aid agreement with Cal in the winter to ensure he could officially enroll at Cal this semester. You might be able to get a glimpse of him this spring if he’s fully recovered from his ACL tear!

More on Downs: Original commitment story In-depth look on Enwere

Here are the junior year highlights from Downs before his ACL tear.

Here are the current rankings for Downs.

247Sports: Four stars, 181st overall in top 247, 12th best outside linebacker, third best recruit in Washington
Rivals: Three stars, 23rd best athlete, fourth best recruit in Washington
ESPN: Four stars, 206th in ESPN300, 25th best athlete, second best recruit in Washington
Scout: Three stars, sixth best fullback

From his CalBears bio:

Head Coach Sonny Dykes
"Devante is an exceptional athlete who is big and athletic and can play a variety of positions. He’s got great size and explosiveness and is powerful. We’re really excited for him to get in here and start contributing to our program. He’s physically advanced for a kid coming out of high school and that will give him an opportunity to play early and help us win football games. He’s a complete total fit at Cal both academically and athletically."

247Sports
"Devante Downs is the next physical freak to come out of the Northwest."

Bear Insider
"When the Bears received a commitment from Devante Downs, they got the whole package – punishing runner, tough defender and excellent student."

ESPN
"Downs could see early situational playing time at the BCS level of competition if a redshirt year is not necessary. He is a very tough customer as a tailback and could be recruited as a linebacker. His toughness and athleticism should prove very productive as a special teams player as well."