From the self-professed smallest guy on his team as a high school freshman, one who “couldn’t do a pull-up or bench a plate”, to becoming the first recruit from the Class of 2027 to verbally commit to the University of New Hampshire and play football for the Division 1 Wildcats, it has been a laborious but ultimately glorious gridiron journey for Colt Downey.
The 6-foot-1, 197-pound wide receiver and free safety from Marblehead, who will serve as one of four captains for the Pingree School football team this fall, announced this past week that he’d be making Durham, N.H. his home for the next four years.
It’s a spot he’s quite familiar with, having gone to both UNH football games and hockey games since he was a child. His father Pat, Pingree’s head coach, was a Wildcats’ captain and first team all-star center before going on to a pro career, while Downey’s older brother Jackson is entering his junior year as a linebacker for the ‘Cats.
“This is what I’ve always dreamed of, not only going to UNH but also getting the chance to play with my brother,” said the 18-year-old Downey, who now bench presses 250 pounds. He had 25 catches for 288 yards and a pair of scores for Pingree last year, with both of those scoring grabs game-winners (vs. New Hampton and Greenwich Academy) while earning First Team All-Evergreen League honors.
“It really means everything to me,” he added. “Watching my brother play has always been an honor, and he’s always been my biggest believer, pushing me to be better even when I didn’t believe in myself.”
Jackson Downey, now 22 and a senior in the classroom but a junior on the gridiron, has played 15 career games at UNH, including four starts. A returning starter on special teams, the 6-foot-2, 225-pounder is also moving from the defensive backfield into the linebacking corps for an entirely new Wildcats staff, led by head coach Sean Goldrich.
“I’m Colt’s biggest fan,” admitted Jackson Downey, who is studying animal science pre-vet and would love to go to graduate school out West to study wildlife and veterinary medicine, with the goal of one day owning his own rehabilitation clinic for wildlife animals and fly fish in his spare time.
“We never thought playing together in college would be possible,” he added, “but through hard work and a lot of adversity — and support from our family (including mom Andrea) — it’s going to happen next year. It’s like a dream.”
Putting in the work
It’s been a busy summer for Colt Downey — and not just picking a college, where he ultimately selected to play receiver for UNH over another Division 1 offer he received from Stonehill.
He won a Top Performer Award at the M2 QB Academy High School Showdown Camp at Bryant University in June, with featured some of the top talent in New England. Downey snared passes from the likes of recent Ohio State commit Chris Vargas of St. John’s Prep; Tabor Academy signal caller and Virginia Tech commit Peter Bourque; and his own Pingree quarterback, Jack Spear, who recently committed to Central Connecticut.
Downey — who didn’t start playing organized ball until the eighth grade, when he joined Marblehead Youth Football — and the other Highlanders’ captains have been leading team lifts three times a week, then do some speed and agility work on the school’s turf field.
He also spends plenty of time in the weight room, takes part in speed work with Dana Barry, wide receiver work with Baron Belite of B-Elite Training, does M2 workouts at Xaverian HS in Westwood on Sundays, and defensive back drills and skills with Thayer Academy’s Casey DeAndrade.
“I feel like I’ve improved a lot in my route running,” said Downey. “Jack (Spear) and I run routes together 3-4 times a week and have really built a strong connection; he knows where I’m going to be all the time and I know where he wants me to be.
“We also try to watch film together a few times a week; I want to keep building my mental game, too. I want to know what coverage the defense is going to be in, where I want to be based on that and finding those soft spots in the coverage.”
Jackson Downey, who would watch a lot of the second half of his brother’s game on his phone after UNH contests, heaped a boatload of praise on his younger sibling when asked to describe him.
“Colt is selfless,” said Jackson Downey. “He’s long, he finds space well, he’s creative, knows the defense well, and he’s a team player and a leader.
“He’s smarter than I was at that age,” he continued. “I was more of a run-through-the-guy in front of you, but Colt finds ways to make plays through his intelligence. He sees defenses in a way I never did. He understands the game more than I did. He plays chess while I was playing checkers.”
Colt Downey said he loved the fact that UNH receivers coach and passing game coordinator KJ Parmer “would call me three times a week to see how I was doing” during the recruiting process, saying he can’t imagine how much support he’ll get once he’s actually on campus full time.
“I did consider Stonehill,” he admitted, “thinking I could go on a different path. I loved it there: the program, the coaches; Coach (Dan) Hebert, the offensive coordinator there, I really appreciate him.
“But at the end of the day, I knew the ins and outs of UNH and my brother was there. I couldn’t pass up that opportunity.”
The whiteboard in his bedroom lists two goals for this season: win a New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Bowl game with the Highlanders, and be the type of leader he’s always hoped to be.
‘A blessing to be here’
In the thick of UNH’s training camp before their season opener at Albany August 28, Jackson Downey is pumped about his position change heading into this season while also starting on all special teams units.
“Coach Goldrich is amazing. He’s an alum here and knows what he wants to build,” said Downey, who had a career high four tackles vs. Stonehill. “My linebackers coach, Tyshon Fogg, was a captain at Rutgers, and I can honestly say he’s one of the best mentors in my life right now.
“I’m older now, so it’s all about the team and the team’s success. I just want to win a championship,” added the two-time All-New England and All-Evergreen League standout, who graduated from Proctor Academy, leading the Hornets to a NEPSAC Bowl title as a senior. “As as individual I want to be a team player, the best teammate I can be, and do whatever I can to help us grab a CAA (Coastal Athletic Association) crown and give us a chance to compete for a national title.”
If he could make, say, 50-plus tackles and become an All-Conference player, so be it. But it’s the wins and losses that matter most to Jackson Downey.
“It’s not about me any more. It’s all about the team, and I’m going to be positive and contribute wherever I can help us win.
“It’s a blessing to be here in Durham,” he added. “I know this place like the back of my hand and have since I was a little kid. I really wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Always having brought his younger brother along to run routes with him and his friends growing up, Jackson Downey is excited to see what Colt can do as a Pingree senior, then eagerly awaits his arrival at UNH.
“One of our core values at UNH is ‘fast’, both mentally and physically. Do everything fast,” said Jackson Downey. “Well, Colt is a perfect example of fast.
“Playing offense at this level is extremely complicated; you have to read the defense, when to break in, out, up, all of those things. But he already thinks the game on a collegiate level, so it’ll make his transition here earlier.”
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