Freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs commits to Ohio State
COLUMBUS — Ohio State has pulled off a transfer portal stunner: the Buckeyes have earned a commitment from former five-star prospect and Freshman All-American safety Caleb Downs.
Downs spent his freshman year at Alabama after committing to Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide in fall 2022. Downs announced his intention to enter the transfer portal earlier this week. Ohio State and Georgia instantly became the favorites to land Downs, and both schools had in-home visits with the talented safety
Ohio State flew to Georgia on Thursday to meet with the Downs family, trying to poach him out of the Peach State. And despite a massive uphill climb for the Buckeyes as they went against the in-state Georgia Bulldogs, Tim Walton and the Buckeyes found a way to score their biggest recruiting win in years.
Downs closed out the 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 was named second-team All-America by the Associated Press and The Sporting New and landed on first-team All-SEC. The safety had 13-tackle performances against Mississippi State and LSU.
Now he adds yet another star to the Ohio State defense that also includes the return of superstar defensive ends J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, safeties Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles and linebacker Cody Simon, as well as all three starting cornerbacks in Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Davison Igbinosun.
Ohio State has national championship expectations for next season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Buckeyes want to be the top defense in all of college football in the fall.
The addition of Freshman All-American safety and former Alabama star Caleb Downs furthers those expectations. Ohio State has pulled off a stunner.
Projected Ohio State safety depth chart with Caleb Downs addition
Projected starters: Lathan Ransom, Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles
Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles are back for another year of starting for the Buckeyes. And as long as Jordan Hancock has the nickel spot locked down, there’s only room for two true safeties in the starting lineup. But now with Downs in the fold, Jim Knowles has a massive job ahead in finding the best way to use Downs, Ransom and Styles to the best of their ability while making sure they all earn proper playing time. Downs is absolutely an instant starter for the Buckeyes.
