With National Signing Day less than a week away, Bastrop High senior Josh Downs is flying under the radar.

It’s hard to imagine an LSU commitment rated as the No. 14 defensive tackle in the nation by rivals.com being overlooked in his own backyard. But Downs’ story has hardly caused a ripple in northeast Louisiana. Heck, his name is seldom mentioned in recruiting conversations in Bastrop. Even then, he’s usually an afterthought.

Instead, Downs has been overshadowed by two of his teammates. Wide receiver Rueben Randle, the nation’s No. 2-ranked overall recruit, remains uncommitted. Although Randle has narrowed his choices to LSU, Alabama and Oklahoma, he has unwillingly become the center of a national frenzy.

D.D. Jones, who has been a teammate of Downs’ since their days at Delta Junior High, has also created quite a stir, though, not on the scale of Randle. Jones has verbally committed to Michigan, but Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee remain in the mix. Like Randle, Jones has said that he will probably not announce his final decision until Wednesday.

Randle and Jones are probably envious of Downs, who pledged to LSU last February and has never shown the slightest hint of wavering. When coach Les Miles offered Downs a scholarship at LSU’s Junior Day, the 6-2, 270-pounder never hesitated to accept. He had received the only offer he wanted.

“I knew where I wanted to go to school,” Downs said. “LSU offered me a scholarship on Junior Day and I stuck with it.”

In recruiting lingo, Downs was — and is — a firm commitment. Though many of the coaches who passed through Bastrop while visiting Randle and Jones spoke to Downs, none made a serious effort to lure him away from the Tigers.

“Nobody else really tried to get me to come visit,” Downs said. “I haven’t had that many coaches calling me. I guess word must have gotten out that I was going to LSU and nowhere else.”

Downs has no regrets about the way his recruiting experience has played out.

“It seems like I have already signed with LSU. Wednesday will just be a formality,” Downs said.

Having made his decision nearly a year ago, Downs has been able to devote his time to academics and conditioning.

“I’m more worried about my grades right now. Without grades, you don’t have anything else to fall back on,” Downs said. “I’ve been trying to stay in the weight room and make myself better.”

Meanwhile, Randle and Jones are scheduled to make their final official visits this weekend to Auburn and Tennessee, respectively. Downs, on the other hand, is looking forward to spending a quiet weekend with his family in Mer Rouge.

“(Randle and Jones) say they’re getting tired of going back and forth,” Downs said. “They say they aren’t getting enough time to spend with their families and hang out with friends as much.”

Downs has been on the go, too, just not as much as his two teammates. Last weekend, Downs and Randle both took their official visits to LSU.

For Downs, the visit was more about allowing his parents (Jimmy and Ella Downs) to have the opportunity to get an up-close look into LSU’s academic and football programs.

“I was more concerned about my mother and father getting a chance to meet the coaches and see the campus,” Downs said. “We went to the Cox Communications Center, the athlete’s academic building, and my parents had a chance to see the apartments where the athletes live.”

Downs was especially impressed with the tutorial programs available for LSU athletes.
As for the hospitality, Downs certainly had no complaints.

“We had a lot of buffets,” Downs said. “I forget the name of the place we went to Friday night, but they served a lot of meat. If you wanted more meat, all you had to do was flash a card and they would bring it to you. That was nice.”

As for the obvious question, Downs says he has made no attempt to influence Randle to join him in Baton Rouge.

“I haven’t tried to persuade Rueben to go to LSU,” Downs said. “He’s getting enough of that from other people and people around town. I just chill with him like we used to do. He’s under enough pressure already.”

In January, Downs played in the ESPN Under Armour Game, a high school all-star game in Jacksonville, Fla. Downs, who recorded 1.5 sacks and a quarterback hurry in the game, had a blast on and off the field.

“Going to the Under Armour Bowl was a great experience,” said Downs, who was wearing an All-American Under Armour hoodie at the time of this interview. “I had the chance to meet a lot of players that I might be playing against at the next level. They had a game room for the players where we could just hang out. That was a lot of fun.
“We got to see all the sights around Orlando.”

Naturally, one of those sights was Disney World. Downs plans to go back this summer. Actually, he had such a good time at Disney World, he is anxious to go back.

“We only got to spend one day (at Disney World). It was my first time to go there,” Downs said. “Hopefully, I’ll be able to go back this summer before practice starts.”

For now, Downs is patiently awaiting Feb. 4 when he will officially become an LSU Tiger. Thursday afternoon, he reflected on some of the people who have made his big day possible.

“I just want to thank God, first,” Downs said. “I also want to thank my mother, my father and my family, the coaches I’ve had over the years at Delta and Bastrop, as well as my Pee Wee coaches, for making me who I am today. And, don’t leave out the teachers. They’ve been very important, too.”

Downs, without question, played a very important role in helping the Rams to a 41-2 record over the past three seasons. LSU will add a heck of a football player when Downs signs on Wednesday. Even if hardly anyone notices at the time.