Caleb Downs, the consensus No. 1 safety in the 2023 class, received an offer from Oklahoma.
With national signing day quickly approaching on Feb. 2, Oklahoma’s 2022 signing class will officially be finished up soon. The Sooners have already signed 15 players and linebacker Jaren Kanak arrived on campus this weekend as well.
There’s been several transfer portal additions for Oklahoma, too, and OU isn’t done adding from the transfer portal.
Still, it’s just about time for the Sooners to turn their collective attention to the 2023 class.
Oklahoma has a pair of commitments in its 2023 recruiting class. Four-star wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. from Los Alamitos High School and three-star interior offensive lineman Joshua Bates out of Durango High School.
On Sunday morning, class of 2023 safety Caleb Downs announced he has received an offer from Oklahoma.
Downs is the consensus No. 1 safety nationally across each of the four major recruiting services. The 6-foot, 185 pound defensive back is regarded as one of the best players overall in the 2023 cycle.
247Sports ranks the Hoschton, Ga., native as its No. 8 player overall in 2023, On3 rates Downs No. 11, Rivals has him No. 24 and ESPN places Downs at No. 31 nationally.
In the On3 consensus rankings, the Mill Creek High School product is No. 9 nationally and he’s ranked No. 12 in the 247Sports composite rankings.
Caleb Downs’ Recruiting Profile
Rating
|
Stars |
Overall |
State |
Position |
| 247Sports |
4 |
8 |
2 |
1 |
| Rivals |
4 |
24 |
3 |
1 |
| ESPN |
4 |
31 |
2 |
1 |
| 247 Composite |
5 |
12 |
2 |
1 |
| On3 Recruiting |
5 |
11 |
2 |
1 |
| On3 Consensus |
5 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
Here’s what 247Sports’ Southeast recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins wrote about Downs in his scouting report.
An elite safety prospect and one that should star on Saturdays before eventually lacing up the cleats on Sundays. Simply moves different than others as he’s fluid in almost everything he does and always seems to be in control of his body. Plays with a vigorous demeanor and likes to hit people. Built like more of an in-the-box safety, but has the speed and range to cover the deepest parts of the field. Quick to trigger and react to what’s going on in front of him. Takes strong angles in run support, almost always arriving with the intentions of leveling someone. Uses leverage and his core strength to to drop ball carriers of all different sizes. Excels as a defensive back, but has also been featured as a running back and wide receiver at the high school level. Could honestly play both positions in college if he wanted to. Totaled 57 tackles, 14 pass break ups and four interceptions as a sophomore playing in the Peach State’s highest classification. Continued to make shine on both sides of the ball as a junior. Comes from a football family as his father was an NFL running back while his brother was an All-American wide receiver that signed with North Carolina. Should be viewed as a future impact player for a Top 25 program. – Ivins, 247Sports.
According to On3’s director of recruiting Chad Simmons, new Oklahoma cornerbacks coach Jay Valai had a strong relationship with Downs while he was at Alabama.
That’s a relationship that OU will be counting upon to win out against an offers list that includes a cluster of the country’s top programs. Alabama, Arkansas, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and plenty of others are all in the mix for Downs.
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