Ethan Downs' Special Relationship With Miguel Chavis is Helping Him Blossom at Oklahoma

The sophomore defensive end was picked to represent his team at Big 12 Media Days, and defensive ends coach Miguel Chavis is a big part of why.

ARLINGTON, TX — Before heading down to Big 12 Media Days, Oklahoma sophomore defensive end Ethan Downs had a huge life decision to make.

The Weatherford, OK, product was thinking about proposing to his girlfriend, and he turned to his new position coach Miguel Chavis for advice.

“I was talking to Coach Chavis about it,” Downs said on Thursday at AT&T Stadium. “I said, ‘Man, is it too early? Is it the wrong time? Should I do it?’ And he pretty much said, he's like, ‘Man, if you know she's the one, why wait? If you're both believers, if you both have faith that God is the center of your relationship, and you keep it that way, and you stay true to each other, then why wait?’

“So he's been able to give me advice and wisdom on so many aspects that I just look up to him.”

Chavis’ investment in the lives of his players off the field has been one of the constant themes through the new coaching staff’s first offseason on campus.

“As soon as he came in, he introduced himself to our defensive group, took us to dinner,” Downs said. “I think we ate Charleston's, and over dinner, he just pretty much flat out said, ‘Hey, this is who I am. I have a beautiful family.’ Said, ‘I'm a Christian, that's my faith, I’m not afraid of it.’ It’s changed my life. He said, ‘I'm gonna pray for you all. I'm going to show you all how it's changed me, so that I can change you, too.’

“And as soon as those words came out of his mouth, he was genuine about it, I knew that I was going to have a special relationship with him, that he was going to be more of a friend than a coach, that I would be able to look up to him, to be mentored by him, to ask them questions when I'm struggling.”

Throughout spring practice, Chavis stressed how important it was to him that his players knew how much he cared about them off the field. The first-time position coach wasted no time building relationships with his entire defensive ends group, and he’s already made plenty of headway both on and off the field.

“He's just given me all the tools for the toolbox,” Downs said. “He's a young coach. But he tells me all the time he wants to be the best. He wants to be the best he can be. He's going to be the best d-end coach.

“And that's very admirable to see his determination. His confidence. It's easy to resemble, to want to imitate.”

Chavis’ investment in Downs is already paying dividends on and off the field, as redshirt junior cornerback Woodi Washington thinks the sophomore will be essential in replacing the production of Nik Bonitto and Isaiah Thomas coming off the edge.

“He's grown into a leadership role,” Washington said. “For a young guy to be invited to this (conference media days) by the coaching staff is huge. ED’s going to be great for us this year, on and off the field.

“He’s growing into a great leader and he's gonna continue to do that for the remainder of his career.”

The fact that Downs was picked to represent the Sooners at Big 12 Media Days is a credit to the work Downs has put in all offseason, and that work started with buying into Chavis and what his new position coach brings to the table.

“There are a few more guys that also could have made the cut,” OU head coach Brent Venables said of his decision to bring Downs. “I had to make some decisions for a lot of different reasons. It’s about the work they put in, the consistency of the last seven months. It’s about the buy-in, the buy-in to the culture, the work they put in, the leadership. It’s about how you play.

“… Everything matters. I know I’ve said that a lot. If you’re a guy, a great player, you’ve made plays for us on both sides of the ball and you’ve been late four times, that’s unacceptable. … Your destiny is a daily decision. So, in a broader sense, that’s how Ethan got here.”

---

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!

Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!

Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news.