Ohio State's Caleb Downs lands new Land Rover through NIL deal

Caleb Downs is settling into life as an Ohio State star.

The former Alabama transfer was the top-ranked player in the transfer portal, according to On3, this past portal window. The Buckeyes and Georgia went down to the wire to land Downs out of the portal, but Ohio State was able to win the recruitment, in part thanks to an in-home visit.

The SEC Freshman of the Year and second-team All-American is now in Columbus and going through spring practice at Ohio State. On Thursday morning, the Buckeyes-driven NIL collective The Foundation announced Downs had received the keys to a new Land Rover through his partnership with the donor-led organization.

Through his work with the collective, the former Five-Star Plus+ recruit has promoted several charities, including LifeTown Columbus. In exchange for signing on as an ambassador to The Foundation’s charity partners, he will drive around in a Land Rover this season.

Downs closed out his true freshman season with 107 total tackles, which ranked fourth in the SEC. He also tallied 3.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions. The Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year, he landed on first-team All-SEC as a true freshman.

Check out @caleb_downs2 new ride we got him as an ambassador to the charity partners of THE Foundation. We appreciate everything Caleb does for our community and look forward to seeing him on the field this year as a member of the silver bullets. Go Bucks! pic.twitter.com/HJOzemXIiP

— THE Foundation (@TheFoundation1_) March 14, 2024

Already thought to be a top prospect for the 2026 NFL draft, Downs is the younger brother of Josh Downs, the North Carolina product drafted in the third round by the Indianapolis Colts.

Buckeyes’ NIL operations in top echelon of college football

The Foundation launched in April 2022, started by Brian Schottenstein and former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. Along with the other Buckeye-centric collective The 1870 Society, Ohio State has emerged as one of the strongest NIL markets in college football.

Operating a high-functioning collective has become necessary to retain and attract talent, with the top-funded organizations operating on a budget of $10 million and more. Most sit between the $4 to $8 million range.

Following three consecutive losses to Michigan and seeing the Wolverines win the national title, Ohio State has fully embraced the transfer portal, using the portal to refine and upgrade its roster, setting the stage for major expectations in the 2024 season. Winning in free agency comes with a strong NIL infrastructure.

Sources previously told On3 that the Buckeyes are operating in the top echelon of college football. When On3 released its second edition of the Top 20 Most Ambitious NIL Collectives this past summer, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas and Oregon sat at the top. All four continue to sit near the top of the field, along with Florida State, Ole Miss and Louisville.

Ohio State has clearly crashed the party, too. Landing two of the top quarterbacks available and the defining running back in this transfer portal cycle does not just simmer down to facilities and the opportunity to win championships anymore. Making competitive financial offers now matters.

Caleb Downs was the cherry on top of the Ohio State transfer portal class. The Foundation was one of the first accounts on social media to announce the safety had committed to the Buckeyes. The organization’s website even went down for a few minutes because of an increase in traffic.

“I think what impresses me most about Caleb Downs is his maturity,” former Alabama head coach Nick Saban said in December. “He’s a very instinctive football player, but this guy, there’s no arrogance about him, being one of the best players in the country at his position. He’s very focused, he’s very coachable. He wants to know everything that you can ever tell him about how he can play his position better. He takes coaching well when you talk to him about what he did or didn’t do.”