NCAA analyst shares his thoughts on Caleb Downs' impact on Ryan Day's Ohio State defense 

Caleb Downs is undoubtedly one of the best players currently in the college football world. The junior safety played a crucial role in Ohio State's national championship success last season following his transfer from Alabama, where he played his freshman season.

The real impact of Downs in the Buckeyes’ setup was discussed in a recent installment of “McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning” by former quarterback Greg McElroy"

"You want me to be completely honest?," McElroy asked before sharing his view on the Buckeyes' defensive back (Timestamp 7:25). “If Caleb Downs was not on the field for Ohio State, I don't think their win-loss model would be severely impacted.”

"It doesn't mean that he's not an amazing player. It just means that their backup is probably closer to Caleb Downs than the backup of a superstar is at Arkansas State. I've always thought that way.”

Heading into the 2025 season, Ohio State has top players like Jaylen McClain, Malik Hartford, Kenan Nelson Jr., Leroy Roker III and Faheem Delane in its safety depth chart. While all of them can make a good impact on the field, it's clear that Caleb Downs is at some level ahead.

Caleb Downs ranked the No. 1 defensive player ahead of the 2025 season

After two largely impressive seasons in college football, Caleb Downs is getting a lot of hype ahead of his junior season. The safety was ranked as the top defensive prospect in the landscape heading into the 2025 season in a list compiled by CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso.

"Downs is one of the genuinely rare recruits who instantaneously meets (or even exceeds) massive hype and rapidly morphs into a supreme NFL draft prospect," Trapasso wrote. "And he's undergone said transformation at two blue-blood schools."

" … At 6-0 and 205 with lightning-quick reflexes, range for days and Pro Bowl-like tackling reliability, he enters the 2025 college football season as the best defender in the country and top defensive prospect for the 2026 class."

Downs will enter the upcoming season as one of the leaders on Ohio State's defense with the aim of reclaiming the national championship. The Buckeyes are seen as one of the potential contenders for the title next season, and he is bound to be pivotal to the team.

The defensive back is also currently projected as a coveted pick in the 2026 NFL draft, with a strong possibility of being a top 5 pick. He will be closely watched by many teams in 2025.