Ohio State Visiting No. 1 Portal Talent Caleb Downs

The Ohio State Buckeyes are making a push for the top talent in the NCAA Transfer Portal - Alabama Crimson Tide Safety Caleb Downs.

Matt Galatzan | Jan 18, 2024

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Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes have made some serious noise in the transfer portal over the last month, adding three instant-impact Power conference commitments in QB Will Howard (Kansas State), running back Quinshon Judkins (Ole Miss) and offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin (Alabama).

And now, it appears that they are going to make a serious push for another one.

According to reports from On3, the Buckeyes are set to visit former Alabama safety and No. 1 overall transfer talent Caleb Downs, who entered the portal following the retirement of legendary head coach, Nick Saban.

The Georgia Bulldogs are also a top contender for Downs.

The former five-star has instantly become the hottest commodity in the portal upon entering. He was both SEC newcomer and freshman of the year and was also awarded the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

Last year as a true freshman with the Tide, Downs finished the season with 107 tackles, two interceptions, three pass deflections a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Ole Miss RB Quinshon Judkins Commits to Ohio State

And in each of the Tide's three biggest games against Texas, LSU and Michigan, Downs led the team in tackles with 10, 13 and eight, respectively.

The Buckeyes already have a veteran safety in Lathan Ransom and a young, talented up-and-comer in Sonny Styles, but could use another playmaker on the back end to cement their secondary as one of the best in the country.

To make matters better, Downs would be in town for at least a couple of years before going pro, so he wouldn't even be a one-year rental, meaning a potential future pairing of Downs and Styles would be one of the scariest prospects for opposing offenses in the Big Ten.

Published Jan 18, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com, AllAggies.com, and the Managing Editor of BuckeyesNow.com and TheGroveReport.com He is also the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com