Chip Kelly details conversation with Caleb Downs, what he's seen from Alabama transfer

Caleb Downs had an incredible freshman season at Alabama, before transferring to Ohio State when Nick Saban retired.

The safety was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-SEC after leading the Crimson Tide in tackles as a true freshman.

Downs is sure to make plenty of plays at safety for the Buckeyes, too, but new Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly joked that he would also love to see Downs play on the offensive side of the ball.

Kelly knows it’s unlikely to happen, but he did talk with Downs and Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton about Caleb Downs playing offense during Tuesday’s practice.

“I’ll be very transparent. I was telling Tim and Caleb what a great offensive player I thought Caleb would be, could be and should be,” Kelly explained. “But I’m not the head coach. I always, during stretch, as an offensive coordinator, I’m always looking at the defensive players like, ‘Oh, I could use him. What could I do if I had him?’ … But I don’t get to choose them anymore. I don’t have the pick.”

Caleb Downs was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 5 overall player in the country for the class of 2023, according to the On3 Industry rankings.

Prior to attending Alabama, he went to Mill Creek High and played in a variety of roles on both sides of the ball. Kelly believes Downs could undoubtedly make plays on offense at the college level, too.

“I was just talking with him about [playing offense],” Kelly said. “He’s a great young man. And if you wanna watch a highlight tape, watch his highlight tape of when he was in high school. He’s an impressive dude.”

Downs was a part of a talented transfer class the Buckeyes brought in this offseason. In addition to bringing in players from the transfer portal, Ohio State also had a large chunk of its production from 2023 decide to return for one more year.

There’s no doubt the Buckeyes have a talented team, but they still have to go out and play well in order to have a special season.

“Obviously this is a very talented football team. But I think Ryan [Day] made a point to the team, and I think our players really understand it. It’s the non-talented things that are going to help this team win,” Kelly said. “It’s the discipline, development that we’re going to have. It’s the skill development that we’re going to have here during spring ball that’s going to be the difference maker. Because there are a lot of talented teams out there.”