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Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was named the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Conference Defensive Back of the Year on Dec. 2. Downs is only the second Buckeye to ever win the award, the other being cornerback Shaun Wade in 2020. He was also named to the first team All-Big Ten defense along with his defensive backfield partner Lathan Ransom.
Caleb Downs 2024 Regular Season
Downs was the clear leader of the NCAA's No. 1 total defense this season. He has been incredible this year with 61 total tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss for the No. 6 Buckeyes (10-2, 7-2). During spring practice, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles told reporters, "The thing you notice about a player like Caleb is that he still makes mistakes, but he corrects them immediately." Downs has backed up that observation consistently this year. He did miss a couple tackles early in the season opener against Akron. He would not miss many more for the remainder of the year, becoming by far the most sure tackler on the team. After a stellar performance against Michigan State (5-7, 3-6 ) on Sept. 28, Knowles stated that they had "activated" Downs as he seemed to really turn a corner.
He ramped up his production even more late in the year with his season high 11 total tackles against Michigan (7-5, 5-4). Downs would also make an incredible interception that set up the Buckeyes inside the red zone against the Wolverines. He had the game-changing play in the win over No. 9 Indiana (11-1, 8-1) with his third-quarter punt return touchdown as well.
Downs' abilities and reliability have allowed Knowles to build the Ohio State defense in a more aggressive structure than he had in the 2023 season. Downs is able to play every area of the field and is a Swiss Army Knife for the unit. He is also a finalist for the Bednarik, Thorpe and Lott IMPACT Trophy awards. Downs is more than likely going to continue racking up a plethora of awards and accolades for his performance in the 2024 season.
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