Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land is highlighting Ohio State football players that you should be watching this season. Check out all of our ”Player to Watch” articles to get ready for the season opener against Texas.
You don’t need me (or anyone else) to tell you that safety Caleb Downs is a player to watch for Ohio State, even though I did that last year.
His first two seasons of college football — one at Alabama and his 2024 debut year as a Buckeye — made it obvious
that he’s a special player. In case it wasn’t already obvious, my fellow Land-Grant Holy Land writers have already clued you in.
One of our unrealistic expectations was Downs winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy. While I didn’t go that far myself, I did make the “bold” prediction that the safety would be a Heisman Trophy finalist. It’s safe to say that Downs has already impressed me (and virtually everyone else).
In his second collegiate season — his first at Ohio State — after arriving from Alabama via the transfer portal in January of 2024, Downs evolved from freshman phenom to one of the nation’s best at his position. His ability to diagnose a play at the snap and improvise helps him creates big plays, while his base defense is strong enough to often deter opposing quarterbacks from testing him at all.
As a sophomore, Downs finished third on Ohio State in total tackles (82), second in solo tackles (49), and tied for first in interceptions (2) while adding 7.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, a quarterback hurry, and half a sack. The versatile defensive playmaker is a stat sheet stuffer — not to rack up stats, but as a byproduct of his standout performances.
Although Ohio State’s passing defense dipped slightly from first in the nation in 2023 (145.9 passing yards per game allowed) to third in 2024 (167) and from nine touchdowns allowed through the air to 10, last year’s squad played 16 games instead of 13. The Buckeyes intercepted three more passes in the process over the course of the season, jumping from seven in 2023 to 10 last season.
The 2024 team also faced an unprecedented run of postseason games against Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and Notre Dame, facing the high-powered Ducks offense twice away from home. Seven of Ohio State’s 16 opponents were ranked in the Top 10 last year — and five were away from Ohio Stadium — as opposed to four in total the year before (two away from home).
On the other hand, Downs helped Ohio State jump from third in total defense in 2023 to first in 2024. The Buckeyes went from allowing 265.4 yards of total offense per game two years ago to 254.6 in 2024.
The big jump for the defense was against the run and in the red zone. While Downs wasn’t the only one responsible, he was a key component in the Buckeyes leaping from the No. 29 rush defense in 2023 to No. 3 last season. The Buckeyes allowed 119.5 yards per game on the ground during the 2023 campaign, cutting that down to just 87.6 rushing yards per contest in 2024.
Beyond his defense, Downs showed his big-play ability on special teams, returning six punts, including one for a touchdown to ignite the Buckeyes’ victory over Indiana. His 16.33 yards per punt return would have ranked fourth in the nation had he logged enough returns to qualify, but Ryan Day was (understandably) loathe to risk such a key player on special teams, while opponents were careful to avoid giving him returnable kicks at times when he was deployed in that role.
The only thing that has the potential to hold Downs back is working under a third defensive coordinator in three years. However, that wasn’t an issue shifting from Kevin Steele at Alabama in 2023 to an entirely different team culture and Jim Knowles’ defense in 2024. Working in Matt Patricia’s scheme shouldn’t faze him.
But you don’t need me to tell you that.
If this is to be Downs’ last season in Scarlet & Gray — and it likely will be, as he obviously has an NFL future ahead of him — he has an opportunity to place himself among the best to ever play safety for Ohio State if he can build on his 2024 season.
Beyond that, he’s the kind of player who could help the Buckeyes repeat as national champions, which would cement his legacy as an OSU legend.
