Ryan Day and co. aren’t easing into 2025. The 2024 national champs might have escaped with a relatively milder schedule with four AP ranked opponents including the No. 1 and 2. But it’s their foundation that’s going to be tested. Still, in the middle of that crew stands Caleb Downs, the Buckeyes safety who’s already cemented himself as CFB’s top defensive weapon and a projected top-3 pick in the 2026 NFL draft. But the returning first-team AP All-American dropped a surprising verdict about Steve Sarkisian, of all people. And he could mean every word. 

Speaking after Tuesday’s practice on Ohio State Football at Buckeye Huddle on August 19, Caleb Downs got real on playing Texas in the opener. “This is my third time playing them in three years,” he stated. “[Sark] does a great job at OC. He builds the plays to have a lot of eye candy. Their office is a great job executing the plans that he makes out for them. His 15-play script is legendary. So, he’s been doing this for a long time. He’s a really good coach.” The safety lived the legacy, even if it’s just for a couple of years. 

In 2023, Caleb Downs was on the wrong side of a 34-24 loss to Steve Sarkisian’s Longhorns while still at Alabama. A year later, wearing Ohio State gear, he got his revenge. In last year’s matchup, he picked off Quinn Ewers to seal a 28-14 playoff win. Sark’s reputation as an offensive coordinator is legendary. From scheming up Heisman finalists at Alabama to dragging Texas out of mediocrity and into back-to-back CFP semifinals, he has built his career on sequencing plays. His scripts are about planting misdirection, isolating mismatches, and forcing defenses to chase shadows. It’s why QBs want to play for him, why Texas has gone from 5–7 to 25–5, and why even the best safety in the country tips his cap.

But Caleb Downs, who loves to play modest, could be the counterpunch that Ryan Day and Ohio State have. DC Matt Patricia weaponizes him rather than lines him. One snap he’s high safety erasing deep shots, the next he’s in the slot mugging receivers, then suddenly he’s in the box playing LB. The only place he hasn’t lined up is at DE, and even that feels like it’s only a matter of time. That’s what makes him the ultimate Swiss Army knife for Ryan Day’s defense. Also, another point to note. Arch Manning, the much hyped legacy QB leading into a dawning Manning era, will find this veteran every single play, account for him, and second-guess what he’s seeing. And for the record, that’s also the captain we’re talking about.

Caleb Downs is an Ohio State treasure

As if that wasn’t enough, Caleb Downs was officially named a team captain on Saturday. It’s a fast rise for someone who transferred in just last year, but the locker room already sees him as a voice worth following. “I think it just shows God’s presence on my life,” he said, ever humble. “The ability that He’s given me to move here last year and to have the impact that I’ve had and to create the relationships that I have with my teammates. I think it’s just a blessing to be in the position I’m in.” You should know he’s one of the four captains for Ohio State’s 2025 football team. For a guy who was still learning the playbook twelve months ago, that’s no small feat.

Captains at Ohio State are cultural pillars. To wear the “C” in Columbus means your words carry weight, your actions get mimicked, and your standard becomes the team’s baseline. Caleb Downs has already proven it on the field with 82 tackles, 8 TFLs, and a Jim Thorpe Award buzz that’s acting like a preview. But leadership is about the locker room just as much as the stat sheet, and Downs has shown he’s got both. “I think I’m just more of a vocal leader,” he added. “Now, it’s more of a small group of us doing it. So I would say just stepping out of my shell trying to be more of a vocal leader to the guys.”

Ohio State opens the 2025 season against Texas on August 30th. This Week One game is a heavyweight clash where the nation’s best safety is ready to write his next chapter.