Former Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs will complete the trifecta of best football teams when he takes his first snap this fall.
Former Ohio State Buckeyes safety Caleb Downs struck gold when it comes to playing for the three best programs and brands in all of football in his career.
When you're a little kid, you can only dream of playing for one of the best programs in College Football. Downs got to play for two of them.
Downs began his college career at Alabama, playing for the great Nick Saban. He got his career off to an incredible start as he finished his first season with 107 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year and was a second-team All-American.
After the year, Nick Saban retired, and with Saban's departure, so too went Downs. Downs took his talents from Tuscaloosa to Columbus, Ohio, to join the best team in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Ohio State was fresh off a season where they just missed the College Football Playoff thanks to an inexplicable loss to the Michigan Wolverines that cost them the chance.
He came to Ohio State as the best defensive player in the portal with real opportunity to upgrade the Buckeyes' defense. Downs joined the Buckeyes as the Playoff expanded and even after two horrible losses during the season, the Buckeyes made it in and the rest was history.
After his final college year in 2025-26, Downs entered the NFL Draft with one year of eligibility remaining and the hopes of being a top 10 draft pick. He was definitely regarded as the number one safety in the draft, but he just needed one team to come and get him.
While he wasn't ultimately in the top 10, he landed with the team that needs him the most, the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas sorely needs a makeover on the defensive side of the ball, and Downs is the start of that. He is going to be penciled in as a day one starter and will be asked to make an impact immediately.
All of this is to say that come the first week of September, Downs will have taken snaps with three of the biggest brands the sport of football has to offer. He will have played in the greatest rivalries in the sport and have three of the most iconic helmets and jerseys on his trophy shelf for years to come.
Downs is a special player and, barring injury, will have a storied NFL career. Time will tell if he has to make a shuffle like his college days, or if he will become the next great Dallas Cowboy.
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