Caleb Downs’ college football legacy is on the right trajectory. Of course, the national championship helps in any debate, but the Ohio State DB is recognized as one of the best defensive players in the game. That legacy becomes even more important when you look at the footballing family he comes from. His father, Gary Downs, is a former NFL player. Add his uncle to the list as well. But if you ask the DB, football is important, but there are other things that lead his priority list. That also tells us why he went with the No. 2 jersey number.

Caleb Dows, a talented 5-star recruit out of high school, had the Buckeyes among his top programs. But playing for Nick Saban was too enticing. He committed to Alabama, but little did Ryan Day know that the First-Team All-SEC player in his freshman year would be donning the Ohio State colors. Nick Saban retired, and Caleb Downs entered the transfer portal. Unlike the last time when Downs called Day to reject Ohio State, the call this time was totally opposite. One of the best DBs was coming to the Buckeyes. Downs didn’t get a jersey number between 20-49, the primary range for DBs. He chose to go with the no. 2 jersey.

In a recent interview, Caleb Downs talks about his jersey number and how it came to define him. Interesting bit: the DB initially wanted the jersey number of his favorite player. “Kobe was my favorite player as a kid, and then when I moved teams, the kid who had 24 wouldn’t give it up. So, I was actually like, sad about it at first. And then they were like, you could wear number 2, and it was like, oh, okay, fine, whatever,” recalled Downs. While the #2 might not have been significant for Downs at the time, as Kobe’s 24, it came to mean something quite profound for Downs.

“It became [clear that] there are two things that are more important than me, more important than my playing football. My faith in Jesus Christ and my family. So, those two things are what I wear on my chest every game, and those are the two most important things in my life,” he said. That strong faith is also the reason Caleb Downs finally chose Ohio State over Alabama after entering the portal after his true freshman year.

Caleb Downs’ commitment to Alabama was surely influenced by the relationship the player built with Nick Saban and his admiration for the head coach. But more than that, the Downs family’s faith in Jesus was a crucial factor, too. Caleb’s father, Gary, told CBS how the decision was influenced by “the voice of god.”

If not for faith, Downs might have committed to Ohio State back in 2023, since OSU was on top of his list and Ryan Day, too, had recruited him from early on. Even Downs revealed how he literally cried on the phone to Day when he told him about his ‘Alabama’ decision. However, when Downs entered the portal after Nick Saban’s departure, the past connection that Ryan Day built helped, but more than that, it was the calling of the faith for Downs and his family.

Caleb Downs’ family leans on faith for his OSU decision

Caleb Downs’ family, apart from Gary, his father, and uncle Dre Bly, also has his brother Josh from a footballing background, as he played for the Tar Heels, earning  First-team-All-ACC honors twice. Currently, Josh plays for the Colts in the NFL. He was drafted in the third round at the 79th overall pick. But despite the rich footballing heritage of the Downs family, the love for Jesus is the main motivator. Caleb’s dad is also a representative of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Gwinnett County. So, the Ohio State decision, too, came to be from the family’s faith in Jesus.

“We literally told [Ohio State], ‘Listen, everything in his heart on just logic alone [was] let’s go to Ohio State.’ But this is a spiritual thing. People believe it, don’t believe it. I don’t care at his point. The Lord had said, ‘This is where you should be, at ‘Bama,” said Gary Downs. But when Nick Saban retired, it was a calling from God to switch camps. Gary Downs recalled how he didn’t quit a coaching job until he got the spiritual calling.

“About three years longer than I wanted to because I was waiting on confirmation from God that I should leave,” said Gary Downs. Call it the message of faith or something else, Ohio State got its ace safety, who is continuing to wreak havoc on the field. And with his sheer faith and ability in himself, it wouldn’t be an understatement to predict Downs being a top-10 prospect of the 2026 NFL draft.

Downs continues to express his faith both on and off the field. Recently, we saw him participate in the baptism ceremony of over 50 people at the Ohio State. It includes two of his teammates in a life-changing moment for everyone gathered.