As OSU prepares for a major playoff game, key defensive players like Caleb Downs and Jaylen McClain are making their biggest impact off the field. Not just them, two other players were focused on a different number. For 4,000+ Central Ohio families, the holiday season just got brighter thanks to a group.

“Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain — who’s also the co-founder of the Everyday Legends Foundation — is partnering with The Salvation Army in Central Ohio to provide toys and essentials to 4,000+ families.”

On December 17th, the Ohio State insider Stefan Krajisnik of Cleveland.com hopped on X and dropped a photo of Caleb Downs, Jaylen McClain, and DL Eddrick Houston rocking ‘The Salvation Army’ aprons with a room full of toys in the background. Little did we know that Buckeyes safety Jaylen McClain is a philanthropist at heart.

The McClain family recently launched Everyday Legends — a foundation created to “honor and uplift individuals who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, service, and sportsmanship.” It’s all about making sure children who might not otherwise receive gifts have something special to open this season. McClain even credited his teammate Caleb Downs for providing a blueprint to college athletes.

“He (Caleb Downs) is a great role model for not just me, but a lot of other people on this team,” Jaylen said. “Just to be around him every day, I get to soak in a lot of stuff and just learn so much from him. To see how he carries himself, how he moves in terms of community service, and how he moves on the field – obviously, it means a lot to me.”

In July, Downs’ foundation held an event at Topgolf in Columbus to raise awareness for families experiencing homelessness. Many Ohio State players and coaches were present for it. Through the Trust Downs Foundation, they raised money for Huckleberry House, which supports at-risk youth in Central Ohio. Similarly, McClain has been hands-on with his project.

Last Monday, he showed up in person at 966 East Main Street to deliver a batch of toys, 31 to be exact, for The Salvation Army’s 2025 Angel Tree Toy Drive, according to Kelly Anne Stitts (ABC 6/Fox 28 reporter). This drive is basically a classic holiday program where people pick a child’s name off a Christmas tree and buy a gift based on their wish list.

To make things easier for the fans, they even set up an Amazon Wish List so people could just click and buy specific gifts. If you’re feeling inspired and want to get involved, it’s super easy to find a way to help. You can usually find an Angel Tree at a local mall, or click this link over here to donate. It’s a pretty simple way to step up and be a “people’s people” in your own neighborhood.

Caleb Downs and Buckeyes showing up off the field is the norm

Former and current Buckeyes have never failed to surprise or inspire when it comes to their off-field work. Take former Buckeyes QB C.J. Stroud, for instance. He’s doing big things with his own organization, the C.J. Stroud Foundation. His work mainly focuses on helping single moms, kids whose parents are in jail, and pushing for changes in the criminal justice system.

He’s hosted Thanksgiving dinners and helped people after natural disasters in Houston. He even runs events to help women become financially independent. Another star wide receiver who is now in the NFL, Marvin Harrison Jr., teamed up with the Ronald McDonald House Charities in Central Ohio to raise money and awareness for families with sick kids.

Many of the current student-athletes get involved with organizations like LifeCare Alliance to help older folks in the community by packing meals and doing volunteer work. The NIL group “THE Foundation” is key here, linking over 100 student-athletes with various charities such as A Kid Again and the Columbus Urban League.

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At the end of the day, time and time again, Caleb Downs, Jaylen McClain, and others are proving that they have big hearts to match their on-field skills.