A confident yet humble Caleb Downs met with Ohio State beat reporters for the first time on Tuesday and the Alabama transfer could not have been more impressive. It was already common knowledge that the rising sophomore safety is one of the best players in college football. As it turns out, he’s a first-class young man off the gridiron as well.
As a true freshman at Alabama in 2023, the 6-foot, 205-pound Downs was named national freshman of the year by the Football Writers Association of America. He started all 14 games for the Crimson Tide, led the team in tackles with 107, had two interceptions, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a punt return for a touchdown.
When Downs decided to depart Alabama following the retirement of Nick Saban, it was widely expected he would select Georgia. Downs is a native of Hoschton, Ga., and was ranked as the No. 1 safety recruit in the country in the 2023 class, per the 247Sports Composite. He was also the No. 1 player in the transfer portal, regardless of position, this offseason.
Very early during his conversation with the media on Tuesday, Downs explained why he selected Ohio State over Georgia.
“I just felt like it was the best decision for me,” Downs said. “I just love the program here. I love (secondary/cornerbacks) coach (Tim) Walton. I love what the people had to say around here. I believe in (head coach Ryan) Day and I believe in this team.
Downs knew he would be getting a lot of attention from college football programs once he entered the portal, but it was even crazier than he expected.
“It was like recruiting on steroids, I’d say,” Downs said with a laugh. “I got like 102 calls in one day. Well, even less than that. In like seven or eight hours. Just being able to minimize what my mind was going through was a big thing for me and being able to make a sound decision off what I knew. Pretty much you have to go silent and control your circle, as far as getting opinions from people that you trust and people that you know you can count on.
