The Ohio State football program was able to land a lot of key transfers from the Transfer Portal a year ago. Those players helped the Buckeyes win the national championship. There’s no doubt that one transfer helped them be one of the best defenses that the Ohio State Buckeyes have had in recent years.
Caleb Downs is one of the best players in the country and decided to transfer to Ohio State after Nick Saban retired. Ohio State was one of the schools that were a finalist for him out of high school, and he decided to head to Columbus once Saban left Tuscaloosa.
It’s pretty clear that Downs made the right decision to transfer to Ohio State. He has already won one national title, and his presence on defense gives them a good shot to win back-to-back titles. He has a chance to make this one of the all-time wins in the portal.
Caleb Downs proves that transferring to the Ohio State football program was the right thing to do
Downs not only has a chance to win another national championship, but he also has a chance to develop into a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Downs is clearly the best safety in the country. He covers up so many mistakes around the defense, as we saw in the Cotton Bowl against Texas.
The Buckeyes would not have won that game without a couple of touchdown-saving tackles from Downs. He also had an interception that sealed the victory at the end of the game. Texas is certainly going to be aware of where he is on the field in the first game of the season in 2025.
Downs could overtake Justin Fields as the best transfer portal that the Buckeyes have landed in the Transfer Portal era. He just needs to be who he is this season.
