Caleb Downs, a former standout safety for Alabama, chooses Ohio State

Caleb Downs, a former freshman safety for Alabama, will be attending Ohio State, an insider informed ESPN on Friday evening.

As the first true freshman in programme history, Downs led the Crimson Tide in total tackles this season with 107. He was rated No. 11 overall, a five-star prospect in the 2023 class, and the best safety out of Hoschton, Georgia.

Many people anticipated that Downs would wind up at Georgia when he entered the transfer portal on January 17. Travaris Robinson, his former defensive backs coach, joined the Georgia staff and remained there in spite of new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer’s attempts to bring Robinson back on the Crimson Tide staff.

But, Downs had given Ohio State some thought during his recruiting; at the time, it was believed that the Buckeyes had come in second to Alabama.

Downs is now transferring to Ohio State after the Ohio State coaches had another chance to recruit him. Downs and his family had an in-home visit.

With three years of eligibility left, he will have an instant impact on the Buckeyes defence, which under coordinator Jim Knowles has significantly improved in Year 2.

Along with Alabama centre Seth McLaughlin, Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins, and Kansas State quarterback Will Howard, Downs rounds out the Buckeyes’ already impressive roster of impact additions.