How Caleb Downs has unlocked a 'chain reaction' on Ohio State's defense

One of the top additions via the NCAA Transfer Portal over the offseason was Caleb Downs taking his talents from Alabama to Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes.

During the latest episode of Andy Staples On3 on YouTube, Staples was joined by Spencer Holbrook of Lettermen Row, where they discussed what Downs will bring to the Ohio State defense.

“One of the things that the additions allowed that I think is the most interesting is, we’ve, you know, we talked about how old that defense is. How established a lot of those guys are in their roles,” Staples prefaced. “But Caleb Downes coming and allowing Sonny Styles to become a linebacker. That feels like maybe the most important move of the offseason.”

Evidently, Holbrook agrees with Staples’ sentiment, explaining how a chain reaction took place once Downs joined the Buckeyes.

“It has a chain reaction, because Sonny Styles being a linebacker now helps C.J. Hicks be, as Jim Knowles said last offseason, ‘unleash,’ is what they wanted to do with him. Well, they’re playing more traditional linebacker roles, and C.J. really couldn’t do that. Saturday, we go in there to watch you know, the open practice that we had, and it’s the only one we’re gonna get out in the spring game. And C.J. Hicks is blitzing pretty normally, and Sunny Styles was playing more of a linebacker. Cody Simon’s playing more of a linebacker. They throw a third linebacker out there at C.J. Hicks, and he’s more of a rush-end, or you know, a blitz specialist up the middle. That unlocks a different level for him. So Caleb Downs lets Sunny Styles come back to the linebacker room. Sunny Styles let’s see C.J. Hicks kind of hone his craft as a pass rusher, and what he does best, you know sideline to sideline. That allows J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer to kind of be freed up on the edges a little bit.

“The chain reaction of Caleb Downs is more than just, ‘Hey, you added an All-American who had 107 tackles in his first ever college football season for Alabama.’ You added him. That’s not just the you know, where it stops, because it has that chain reaction all through the defense. And I think that, you know, like you said it’s the most important part, but it’s a part that sometimes we kind of overlook, just because of how important that Downs addition is. For the entire defense, it just unlocked a few different layers that you’re going to see late in the season. Were like, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot that guy now can play that role because of Downs.'”

Alas, it makes a ton of sense why Caleb Downs is one of the biggest pieces to move during the transfer portal era. Ohio State’s defense should be much improved, and he’s going to be a huge reason why that’s the case.