“Caleb, you are going to a star-infested team,” former Carolina Panthers quarterback and NFL MVP Cam Newton told rookie Caleb Downs ahead of his first season. Newton knows a thing or two about facing the Dallas Cowboys, having gone 2-1 against them during his career. He also understands the spotlight that comes with playing for one of the most popular franchises in sports. That’s why, while Newton knows what Downs is walking into, he’s also warning the rookie about the intensity of the Cowboys’ fanbase.

“We did a First Take in Dallas, and that support there was just so crazy,” Newton told Downs and his brother Josh on the Downs 2 Business podcast. “That’s the most delusional fanbase, bro. They going to support the star. We had Michael Irvin; they won three championships, but he still gets love. He still gets love.”

There’s no denying that Caleb Downs is joining a stacked team with the NFL’s largest fan base. But Newton also understands why beginning his rookie season with the Cowboys brings a different level of pressure. With the expectations that come with wearing the star, the urgency for Downs to perform from Day 1 is only amplified.

For a broader context, Newton highlighted that one of the themes of Downs’ football journey is that he consistently played for established winning programs at every level. Before Downs became a prominent name in college football, he played at Mill Creek, which had already become one of Georgia’s stronger football programs under coach Josh Lovelady. During Downs’ senior year, Mill Creek finished 14-1, while winning the GHSA Class 7A state championship.

That allowed Downs to secure a spot under Nick Saban’s leadership at Alabama. In his only season for the Crimson Tide, Downs helped his team to finish 12-2, while also winning the SEC Championship by defeating the previously unbeaten Georgia. He became Alabama’s leading tackler with 107 tackles, becoming one of the few true freshmen to anchor the Tide defense. After Saban’s retirement, however, Downs transferred to Ohio, another of football’s premier programs.

In his sophomore year, Ohio State won the College Football Playoff National Championship; Downs earned unanimous All-American honors and played a key role on one of the nation’s best defenses. A year later, Ohio State reached the CFP quarterfinals, as Caleb Downs finished his two-year Buckeye career with a 26-4 overall record. Downs will be hoping all of that helps him have a great rookie campaign with the Cowboys.