Examining Buckeyes chances at landing commitment from five-star safety Caleb Downs
COLUMBUS — Ohio State will get its long-awaited answer about its number one prospect in less than a week when five-star Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia) safety Caleb Downs announces his commitment.
Downs, the No. 12 overall player and the No. 1 rated safety in the 2023 class, has his decision date set for July 27. He will choose between four schools: Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame. But the Buckeyes and the Crimson Tide seem to be taking this recruitment down to the wire.
Chad Simmons, the director of recruiting for On3, recently spoke with the coveted safety about his highly-anticipated decision now just days away and Caleb Downs is seemingly ready for the process to be over.
“It’s been a long process, very difficult because you make relationships with all these coaches,” Downs told Simmons. “You see certain qualities in each of them that you like. To tell somebody no that you think you have a good relationship with is going to be the tough part for me. Because I’ve never been that good at that.
“… It is going to be hard to make this decision, but I have it down to three schools. It will come down to the belief in the coaches, the program they run, and that I will be able to succeed. I am still thinking about it and it is going to come down to the wire.”
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A Lettermen Row source indicated the Buckeyes have not been made aware of any decision, and Downs is still in constant contact with the Ohio State staff.
Ohio State has long been on the trail for Downs starting with its initial offer to the 5-foot-11, 195-pound safety all the way back in February 2019. Since then the Buckeyes’ defensive staff has undergone a whirlwind of change, and it’s been on new defensive backs coaches Perry Eliano and Tim Walton, along with head coach Ryan Day, to seal the deal since this January. Day has been heavily involved in the recruitment of Caleb Downs.
Downs took an official visit to Ohio State this past June and walked away from the trip seeing plenty of opportunities for him to make a name for himself in Columbus. And especially the role he could play on the field in the Buckeyes’ new-look defense.
“I like what coach Knowles brings to the table. His defense is safety driven, the safties make a lot of plays, and that is a good aspect for me. He gets his safties in position to make plays, he plays an aggressive style of defense, and it has caused offenses some problems.
“I definitely can see myself fitting in, in Coach Knowles defense. I like what he does.”
Caleb Downs to On3’s Chad Simmons
Downs also took two unofficial visits to Ohio State; one in June 2021 and one this April.
His decision next Wednesday currently trends toward Alabama, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine. The Crimson Tide have a 44.8-percent chance of landing Downs, but no one will truly know until July 27.
But the Buckeyes hope it’s them on the right side. Right now, they remain optimistic.
