Ohio State safety Caleb Downs declares for 2026 NFL Draft

COLUMBUS — Ohio State junior superstar safety Caleb Downs declared for the 2026 NFL Draft during an episode of his podcast on Wednesday, ending one of the most decorated careers in Buckeyes program history — in just two years.

Downs has been one of the best defensive players in college football during each of his three college football seasons, two of them coming at Ohio State. Now he’s going to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft this upcoming spring.

The list of accomplishments for Caleb Downs is immense. He’s one of the most decorated defensive players to ever come through Ohio State.

Across his three seasons of college football, here are the list of accomplishments for Caleb Downs:

+ A two-time unanimous All-American defender in 2024 and 2025
+ A two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection at safety
+ The two-time Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year
+ The 2025 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
+ The 2025 Thorpe Award winner, given to the country’s best defensive back
+ The winner of the 2025 Lott IMPACT Trophy
+ A top-10 finisher in 2025 Heisman Trophy voting
+ One of four team captains for the 2025 Buckeyes football team
+ A key member of the 2024 national championship team at Ohio State
+ A True Freshman All-American in 2023 at Alabama
+ A 2023 SEC Champion at Alabama
+ 4-2 career record in the College Football Playoff

The Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia) High School native was a five-star prospect in the class of 2023. He chose Alabama over Georgia and Ohio State, becoming a starter and a star in his first season with the Crimson Tide. But that was his only season, because he entered the transfer portal once news broke that legendary Alabama coach Nick Saban was retiring.

And Ohio State won the re-recruiting war against Georgia for Downs, and he instantly became a superstar for the Buckeyes.

Across three seasons of college football, Downs had 257 combined tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 12 pass deflections and two punts returned for a touchdown. During his time with the Buckeyes, he had 150 combined tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four interceptions, eight pass deflections and two forced fumbles, as well as one of his two punts returned for a touchdown.

Now he’s taking all of those accolades and all of those stats to the NFL, where he will be a first-round draft pick this spring. After three incredible years of college football, Caleb Downs is heading to the next level.