Ryan Day made his feelings clear about Caleb Downs after the safety’s final game in an Ohio State uniform. The Buckeyes lost 24-14 to Miami in their bowl game Wednesday night, ending Downs’ college career.
Day praised the departing safety for contributions that went beyond his play on the field.
“What Caleb Downs has done for Ohio State and does every day, most of it you see is on the field, but what I see is off the field. He’s a special young man who has done a lot for this program,” Day said. “I’ll forever be indebted for what he’s done for us. Not only his play but what he stands for off the field, who he is.”
The Ohio State coach also highlighted Downs’ family support system.
“His family is tremendous,” Day said. “He played his tail off tonight. Nobody hurts more than he does.”
Downs had previously discussed adapting to Big Ten competition after transferring to Ohio State. He noted the conference’s demanding schedule during an appearance on “See Ball Get Ball.”
“I would say in the Big Ten, you’re going to have four or five games [in a season], maybe where you’re going to have to play high-level competition and really have to be at your highest point. So that’s a difference,” Downs said.
The safety later acknowledged his initial assessment might have been off.
“But then again, I said that when I first got to Ohio State and then a lot of the teams that were in the Big Ten, when it came to bowl games, ended up beating the SEC teams [last season]. So I feel like that kind of negated what I said.”
Downs is projected as the top safety prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Matt Miller gives him the only first-round grade among safeties in the upcoming draft class.
That projection makes Downs a name to watch as draft season approaches this spring.
