Alabama safety, SEC Freshman of the Year Caleb Downs plans to enter transfer portal

Alabama safety and SEC Freshman of the Year Caleb Downs plans to enter the transfer portal, according to On3’s Jeremy Johnson.

The decision to leave Tuscaloosa comes after Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban announced his decision to retire. A Five-Star Plus+ prospect coming out of high school, the 5-foot-11.5, 190-pound defensive back became the first Alabama freshman to lead his team in tackles in program history dating back to at least 1970.

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.

Named the Defensive True Freshman of the Year by On3’s Charles Power, Caleb Down lived up to his top-10 prospect hype. The Hoschton (Ga.) Mill Creek product picked the Tide over Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame.

“I think what impresses me most about Caleb Downs is his maturity,” 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.”

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Track transfer portal activity

As of January 10th, 2,253 FBS players have entered the Transfer Portal.

While the NCAA Transfer Portal database is private, the On3 Network has streamlined the reporting process tracking player movement. If you find yourself asking, ‘How can I track transfer portal activity?’ our well-established network of reporters and contacts across college athletics keeps you up to speed in several ways, from articles written about players as they enter and exit the transfer portal or find their new destination, to our social media channels, to the On3 Transfer Portal.

The transfer portal wire provides a real-time feed of player activity, including basic player profile information, transfer portal ranking and original On3 Industry recruiting ranking, as well as NIL valuation (name, image and likeness).

The On3 Transfer Portal Rankings allow for you to filter the On3 Industry Rankings to find the best of the best in the portal, starting with Overall Top Players.

You can dive deeper into the rankings and filter by position whether it is Quarterback, Running Back, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Tackle, Interior Offensive Line, Edge, Defensive Line, Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety, Athlete, Kicker, Punter, or Long Snapper you’re looking for.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.