Caleb Downs tabbed as a breakout player for Alabama

Alabama recruits the best players in the country on a consistent basis. Nobody has done so at a higher level than Nick Saban throughout his tenure. Even so, there are times when five-star caliber players are buried on the depth chart, waiting their turn to get on the field. Freshmen can make an impact for the Crimson Tide but rarely is it at a high level.

One of those rare occurrences may be unfolding, with Caleb Downs causing a lot of chatter for Alabama. He has the chance to start at safety from the get-go, playing an important role in the Crimson Tide secondary. Most of the reason is that Downs possesses instincts you cannot really teach, no matter the talent level.

“To be real, he’s just a ball player,” On3’s J.D. PicKell said. “Caleb Downs came out of the womb and knew he could play some football. He’s a playmaker on the field. And his skill set can be summed up in two things. Cerebral. Cerebral football player. He’s really good at reading what’s going on with the offense. Second thing, he’s instinctual. You can’t teach instincts.”

Alabama is a place where the quarterback is a major question. It’s still the main talking point coming out of spring practice. But when people are taking a break from that, Downs is usually the next topic up, with those plugged in raving about his ability despite not being on campus for too long.

“He’s a guy that had ‘everybody talkin’ factor’ during the spring,” PicKell said. “A lot of people watching what’s going on at Alabama during spring practice. Going ‘hey who’s that No. 2 running around the secondary?’ For those that had not kept up with recruiting, that’s Caleb Downs and he’s very, very likely going to be a guy that contributes for you in a very big way as a freshman in Tuscaloosa.”

For those of you that have kept up with recruiting, you know how highly-rated Downs was.

Downs played high school football at Hoschton (GA) Mill Creek, where he was a Five-Star Plus+ prospect. He was the No. 5 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Now, those in Tuscaloosa will be hoping the potential everyone saw in high school translates when he steps foot on Bryant-Denny Stadium. Saban is likely to throw him right in the fire as well. If Downs succeeds early, we will really know a special player is blossoming in front of our eyes.