Ohio State safety Caleb Downs wins 2025 Thorpe Award

Ohio State junior safety Caleb Downs was named the 2025 recipient of the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back during Friday night’s Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN. Downs beat out fellow finalists in LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore for the Thorpe Award.

“It’s in my DNA, I feel like God has blessed me with a great family and a great opportunity to be here, and I can’t really take credit for anything that he’s given me,” Downs said. “I was just born into the bloodline that I have and am just thankful to be here.”

Downs is a football legacy whose older brother, Josh Downs, is a star receiver with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Their father, Gary, also played college football at NC State before getting into coaching.

Downs, who won last season’s Lott Impact Trophy, is the first Thorpe winner from Ohio State since former Buckeyes cornerback Malcolm Jenkins won it in 2008 and follows last year’s winner, Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron. The only other Thorpe winner from Ohio State was Antoine Winfield in 1998.

Downs is a former five-star Alabama signee in 2023 who led the Crimson Tide with 107 tackles as a true freshman before transferring to Ohio State following Nick Saban’s surprising retirement in January 2024. Since landing in Columbus, Downs has been the unquestioned leader of the Buckeyes top-ranked defense, including tying for the team lead with two interceptions and ranking third on the team with 60 total tackles, 5 tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.

In addition, Downs was named to the On3 2025 College Football All-America Team.

“Downs was this season’s winner of the Lott Impact Trophy, named after the legendary Ronnie Lott, and is awarded to the defensive player who makes the biggest impact,” On3’s Chris Low wrote. “That perfectly describes Downs, who’s a difference-maker in every facet of the game, be it making big tackles in the open field or breaking up passes on key downs.”

Mansoor is a true cover corner who joined LSU this season after spending his first three years in college at Virginia Tech. This season in Baton Rouge, Mansoor led the Tigers defense with 11 pass breakups to go along with two interceptions and 45 tackles.

Following a breakout freshman season last year, Moore established himself as one of college football’s top corners as a sophomore, including tying for fourth nationally with five interceptions, including one he turned for a touchdown against Syracuse.