Till now, Caleb Downs’ transfer from Alabama Crimson Tide has been lassoed with GOAT Nick Saban’s retirement. While it might be true, the Alabama transfer has now received a star status in Ryan Day’s Ohio State Buckeyes. And here Downs arrives with an interesting take on his new experience. The player has been so mesmerized with the Ohio State’s welcome, that now he did not even give a second thought before exposing the loopholes in Saban’s system when he was in power in Tuscaloosa. Meanwhile, Downs is all pumped up to play as RB and his preparations just got a boost with his $50,000 NIL deal.    

Guess what’s Downs’ goal for this fall? Playing running back and returning punts. And the player is looming high in confidence now that he has HC Day and OC Chip Kelly’s back. The 247Sports got a chance to sit for an interview with him. While Downs is all fired up for his RB role, there prevailed a touch of Saban vs. Day throughout the Q&A sessions. This came as a blow to most of the fans who were under the assumption that Downs was an absolute Saban loyal. But that’s surely not the case. 

Garnering confidence in his skills about playing both ways, it’s now easier for him to point out the differences. It is this stark contrast that helped Downs to grow, as he claimed, “If you know different things, you can pick which ones you want to play from. That makes you a more well-rounded player. I’m glad that Coach Saban trusted me to play that early.” After the showering of gratitude, Downs immediately switched roles to point out how a factor makes things special in Day’s squad, “There’s an offensive coach here, which is always a different thing.”

It’s clearly evident that Downs is now fully committed to Team Day, “Coach Saban was such a defensive guy. Practices around here are a little different just because Coach Day is an offensive-minded guy. It’s not anything different in terms of competition level or physicality.” Now that he has got his dream team, how is the prep going? 

Caleb Downs and his elite defense ambition

Sophomore safety Downs is pumped up and ready to roll with his call. At Day’s program, the 6-foot, 205-pound player feels more at home. Does that mean the player is sprinting after mirages? No, not at all! He confirmed, “I would say it feels more realistic now, just because I’ve gotten to know everybody, I’ve gotten relationships with everybody.” There is this “brotherhood” that the player is blessed with in the Buckeyes hood.

Hence, besides his own skills, Downs is now counting on Ohio State’s defense, pairing which no power in the universe can put the brakes on Day’s victory. The player came up with the reassurance, “We can be one of the most elite defenses to ever play in this game. So, I feel like if we play at the level that we should, then everything will get handled, and the plays will be made.”

Stepping into Day’s army, there came another big breakthrough for Downs. The safety secured an NIL deal with the activewear brand Rhoback. As delved by the sources, the deal is worth at least $50,000. Now all that is left to see is if Downs is Day’s golden ticket or just a regular pass.