Ohio State safety Caleb Downs has received much attention as the Buckeyes look to repeat as College Football Playoff champions. Downs is viewed as an underrated gem among the college football elite entering the 2025-26 season.
In a recent video, On3 college football analyst J.D. PicKell explained why he believes Downs could possibly be a “future first-round pick.”
J.D. PicKell Explains Why Ohio State S Caleb Downs Is The Most Underrated Player In College Football
“Ohio State’s Caleb Downes is the best defensive player in College Football, but he still does not get enough love nationally, and he’s one of my favorite players in the sport right now,” On3 analyst JD PicKell said recently in a deep dive on what makes Downs special.
Downs, the son of former NFL player Gary Downs, earned All-America honors as a true freshman at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State ahead of his sophomore season.
“I just appreciate the fact that when you see Caleb Downs playing football, you can tell he loves the game, he doesn’t have to put as much into it as he does,” Pickell said.
“His brother (Josh Downs) is an NFL player, his dad is a former D1 athlete, he’s in a good spot, he could get away with putting in 80%, but he doesn’t, you can tell he lives in the film room.”
PicKell also mentioned the safety’s interception against Texas in the College Football Playoff semifinal. It played a vital part in one of Ohio State’s most important games of the season, proving his value.
“You saw him do everything for Ohio State this year, play out close to the line of scrimmage, deeper in the field for pass coverage,” Pickell said. “Everything he did had a massive ripple effect on the game itself.”
CALEB DOWNS INTERCEPTION AND TEXAS IS DEAD pic.twitter.com/KuDjM6xxlM
— The Silver Bulletin (@tSilverBulletin) January 11, 2025
“Like the interception against Texas, he’s not even watching the QB’s eyes, he’s looking at the route, and then snaps back to the QB at the exact second,” PicKell said. “A lot of the plays that he makes, yes, he’s physical, but he’s always a step ahead of the offense.
“In the day and age of college football, where there’s so much, I want this. Caleb Downs — the dude is just very evidently all about football,” PicKell said. “If you love what college football is in general, he is a throwback in a lot of ways, I guarantee if he had to, he’d play for free tomorrow.”
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Going into his final season, while PicKell may not believe he is rated highly enough nationally, multiple people speak incredibly highly of Caleb, including fellow analyst Greg McElroy.
“He (Day) might have the most talented player, pound for pound, in the country that returns to his secondary. That’s Caleb Downs,” McElroy said recently.
“He’s the most versatile, and he’s the best defensive player,” McElroy added. “I think he can cover the entire field. I think he can be impactful in the run game.”
Going into the 2025-26 season, we are all set for a rematch between Ohio State and Texas. The Buckeyes open the season at home against the Texas Longhorns, two favorites to win the NCAA championship this season. Day will rely on Caleb once more to get the job done.
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