Tag: Caleb Downs

Ohio State defensive star named top 2026 prospect to watch

Ohio State defensive star named top 2026 prospect to watch #GoBucks

The 2025 NFL draft is still a while away and few people are thinking about it, but even fewer people are thinking about the 2026 NFL Draft. That won’t stop the good people at Pro Football Focus thinking about some potential top prospects for that year’s edition.

One Ohio State defensive star has made PFF’s list of top 2026 prospects to watch. The hype surrounding safety, Caleb Downs, is insane for the Buckeyes right now and rightfully so as he turned in a freshman All-American caliber season for the Alabama Crimson Tide.

PFF notes that Downs was the clear best player in a talented Alabama defensive backfield. The incoming transfer finished last season with the ninth best overall grade for safeties and fifth best coverage grade for all safeties.

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Ohio State’s Caleb Downs featured in new advertisement

Ohio State’s Caleb Downs featured in new advertisement #GoBucks

It still feels weird to watch an advertisement with a current college football player, but with the emergence of NIL it has become more frequent and the most recent Ohio State player to gain a big brand deal is Caleb Downs. The Alabama Crimson Tide transfer was an All-American last year and big things are expected of him for the 2024 season as well.

Today the Ohio State X account released a video of Downs walking around and warming up with a Buckeye themed pair of Beats by Dre headphones. Ohio State has a ravenous fanbase that loves to spend money so there are few spots better for an athlete to utilize NIL than Columbus, Ohio.

We expect you to now rush out and get you a pair of these. After all, if Downs is using them, so should you.

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Ohio State safety makes pre-season All-American team

Ohio State safety makes pre-season All-American team #GoBucks

The 2024 college football season kicks off in less than a week and we are getting the final push for preseason lists all week long. We are all aware of how talented the Ohio State football team is, but we are once again reminded thanks to the most recent Associated Press preseason All-American team.

The Buckeyes dominated in the transfer portal and the fact the incoming Alabama Crimson Tide transfer, Caleb Downs made the first team of this All-American team is further proof of that. This nomination makes sense considering he earned second-team All-American honors as a true freshman last season as well as an obvious Freshman All-American after playing impressively for Alabama.

Downs was insanely productive last year totaling 107 tackles, four pass break-ups and two interceptions and hopes that he can build on that success in Columbus, Ohio.

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Ohio State football players given eye-popping placement in ESPN rankings

The Ohio State Football program has some of the best players in the country, but ESPN didn’t put any in the top 10 of their recent CFP player rankings.

Ohio State Football has been a hotbed for high-profile transfer players and five-star recruits. That’s been a huge part of what’s helped make the Buckeyes a consistent CFP contender.

While the Buckeyes were No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll, they didn’t get much love in ESPN’s recent college football player rankings. Despite having numerous in the rankings, Ohio State was void of any top-10 player.

Caleb Downs was the first Buckeye player to see his name appear, being ranked as college football’s 11th-best player. Emeka Egbuka came in at No. 28, Jack Sawyer at No. 33, and Quinshon Judkins No. 34.

Now, there were numerous others in the top 100 that will put on the Scarlet and Gray this upcoming season, but the Buckeyes having none in the top 10 is relatively shocking.

While it is difficult to justify where to place him, Jeremiah Smith, the No. 1 overall recruit in the Class of 2024, didn’t made the cut on the list. Eight Buckeyes were mentioned.

It was an even split with four coming on the defensive side of the ball and four on the offensive side of the ball.

Four Big Ten players crack PFF’s top 10 players in college football entering 2024

The Big Ten has some of college football’s top players in 2024:

ProFootballFocus’ recently-released ranking of the top players in college football reached its conclusion on Friday. The top 10 of the list includes four Big Ten athletes.

PFF ranked Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham No. 3 overall, Michigan cornerback Will Johnson No. 4, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs No. 8 and Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins No. 10.

Colorado star receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter came in at No. 1 overall on the list, while Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II followed at No. 2.

Graham, who enters his third season in Ann Arbor, earned an All-American second-team selection as a sophomore for the Wolverines. On the interior, he registered 36 tackles, 3.0 sacks, three quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Johnson, meanwhile, earned Defensive MVP of the 2023 National Championship Game during Michigan’s triumph over Washington. The game-wrecker was both a first team All-American and consensus first team All-Big Ten selection with four interceptions across 12 appearances.

Ohio State’s Downs transferred to the Buckeyes after a spectacular freshman season with Alabama. The safety earned Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year honors and was pinpointed as the SEC Freshman of the Year by its coaches.

Judkins also transferred to OSU ahead of the 2024 slate. Unlike Downs, he played his college ball at Ole Miss before the move. He enters the Big Ten as a 2023 All-SEC First Team member.

Two Ohio State football players named to Thorpe preseason watch list

Two more Buckeyes on a preseason award watch list. This time for the Thorpe. #GoBucks

The march of college football preseason watch lists continue, and Ohio State has thus far been well represented.

On Wednesday, the Thorpe Award released its watch list and both Caleb Downs and Denzel Burke were among the 35 names appearing. The Thorpe is one of the most prestigious awards in college football and goes to the player judged to be the best defensive back in the country annually. It has been around since 1986 and is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

You know the Buckeye duo well. Downs is coming off of a Freshman All-American campaign at Alabama, and Burke is a three-year starter and highly productive corner that will be be drafted in the NFL next April.

OSU is one of five schools that have two players appearing on the list.

Antoine Winfield and Malcom Jenkins are the only two Ohio State players that have won the Jim Thorpe Award. We’ll see if Downs or Burke can become the third when it’s announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 12.

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Four Ohio State players appear on Bronko Nagurski watch list

Leading all teams with four on the list! #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team lead all teams with four players appearing on the Bronko Nagurski watch list. The award has been around since 1993 and is handed out to the player judged to be the best defensive player annually.

Of the 75 players announced on Tuesday, Buckeyes Denzel Burke, Caleb Downs, JT Tuimoloau, and Tyliek Williams were included. Iowa and Georgia are tied for second with two players each on the list.

Downs, who is entering his sophomore season, transferred from Alabama as one of the best safeties in the country last season, while the trio of Burke (cornerback), Tuimoloau (defensive end), and Williams (defensive tackle), were a part of the group of players that decided to return for one more season rather than declare for the NFL draft. All are expected to be a big part of one of the best defenses in the country this season.

The Trohpy will be awarded by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club on December 9.

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Former Alabama DB Caleb Downs receiving reps at RB for Ohio State

Caleb Downs was a superstar DB for Alabama in 2023, but he’s now receiving RB reps at Ohio State

After the 2023 college football season concluded, former star Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back entered the NCAA transfer portal. He ultimately decided to move north and commit to the Ohio State Buckeyes. This was the second-biggest loss of Alabama’s offseason, behind only the retirement of head coach Nick Saban.

While he was an impressive freshman in 2023, Downs was easily one of the best overall plays in all of college football. His decision to transfer out of the Crimson Tide program was a hit that couldn’t be healed in full. DeBoer and the coaching staff were only able to add pieces that mitigated the damage done by Downs’s absence.

Last season, Downs had 101 total tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery, two interceptions and three passes defended. Head coach Ryan Day hopes to have that level of production from Downs translate to the Buckeyes secondary.

While he is still a strong defensive back and will be a key starter for Ohio State in 2024, Downs is also now getting some practice reps as a running back.

The conversations about the possibility of Downs playing some running back was initiated by Downs when meeting with Day while he was in the transfer portal.

“It was part of the recruiting process (him) possibly doing a little bit of running back as well,” said Day. “It’s something he wanted to do. We’ve been having him in some of the meetings and some of the individual drills as a possibility there if needed down the road as we continue to build depth at that position.”

While it may seem odd, Downs was an exceptional running back at high school before moving to defensive back full time in college. It’s also worth noting that the prospect of highly talented players playing multiple positions on both sides of the ball is not too uncommon nowadays.

While it’s certainly unexpected, it’s an interesting possibility to follow throughout the 2024 college football season.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Downs and Alabama football news as the 2024 offseason progresses.

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Could Ohio State safety Caleb Downs play another position this fall?

Would you like to see Downs get snaps on offense? #GoBucks

When Ohio State football added freshman All-American safety [autotag]Caleb Downs[/autotag] from the transfer portal via Alabama, many believed that he’d not only play his natural position, but also get a chance to return punts.

Well, it’s looking like Downs will get to do those two, but you can add another position we might see him play this fall, running back. Following Ohio State’s last camp of the summer season, head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] met with the media.

He was asked about Downs progression, and mentioned that he has been in running back meetings during the offseason. The coaching staff has also had conversations about putting him in the backfield, so it is certainly a possibility.

We all knew that Downs was an exceptional athlete, and in high school he was also the star running back. Don’t expect to see him back there all the time, but he could get more than a few carries this coming season for a change of pace.

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Three Ohio State football players make Lott Impact watch list

The first of many watch lists, and likely the first of a many Ohio State players appearing on them. #GoBucks

We’re not quite in the middle of college football watch list season, but we’ll start to get some of them trickle out as we get deeper into summer. The first of those came on Thursday with the release of the 2024 Lott Impact watch list, and Ohio State is the only team with three players appearing on it.

The Lott trophy has been around since 2004 and goes to the defensive player who makes the biggest impact for the team both on and off the field based on the acronym IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity).

For the Buckeyes, the trio appearing among the 42 names are senior cornerback Denzel Burke, sophomore safety Caleb Downs, and senior defensive end JT Tuimoloau.

Burke had a bounce back year last season after a sophomore season in which he didn’t quite live up to what we saw during his freshman campaign. He’ll be on the shortlist of the best corners, not only in the Big Ten, but in the country.

As a freshman, Downs was one of the best defensive backs in the country at Alabama and made the difficult decision to transfer to Ohio State when Nick Saban retired. He should be a significant difference maker for OSU this fall.

Tuimoloau surprised many by coming back for his senior season. He was one of the most coveted prospects in the country when he committed to Ohio State back in 2021. He has dominated games at times and will be a part of one of the best defensive end tandems in the country, opposite fellow edge rusher Jack Sawyer.

Former linebacker and current assistant coach James Laurinaitis is the only Ohio State player to have won the Lott Trophy. He did it back in that ridiculous 2008 campaign.

We’ll continue to bring you that multitude of OSU players sure to be on preseason watch lists as things get closer and closer to the start of the 2024 season.

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