Caleb Downs

Caleb Downs didn’t just win an award Friday night—he cemented his place as the best defensive back in college football. The Ohio State safety claimed the Jim Thorpe Award at ESPN’s College Football Awards show, beating out LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore and adding another chapter to a season defined by dominance. For Buckeye fans, the honor felt inevitable. Downs has been the backbone of the nation’s best defense, a player whose impact shows up on every snap, not just the stat sheet.

Downs finished the season with 60 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions and multiple pass breakups, but numbers only tell part of the story. He has been everywhere in Matt Patricie’s defense, lining up as a deep safety, rolling down into the box and covering receivers from the slot with equal effectiveness. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 4.1 yards per target, essentially erasing entire portions of the field. That versatility and reliability are why he also swept the Big Ten’s major defensive awards and added the Lott IMPACT Trophy for his leadership and community involvement.

With the Thorpe Award, Downs became just the third Buckeye to claim the honor, joining Antoine Winfield and Malcolm Jenkins and tying Ohio State with LSU, Oklahoma and Texas for the most winners all-time. As he heads into what are likely the final games of his Ohio State career before an expected top-10 selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, Downs has a chance to leave Columbus with one more prize that matters most—a national championship.

While Downs was the only Buckeye to take home an individual trophy on Friday night, Ohio State’s presence at the awards show and beyond underscored just how loaded this roster is. Jeremiah Smith fell short in his bid for the Biletnikoff Award, which went to USC’s Makai Lemon, despite Smith matching Lemon with 11 touchdowns and finishing just 70 yards behind him. For Buckeye fans, the result felt familiar. Marvin Harrison Jr. endured a similar snub in 2022 before coming back to win the award the following season. Like Harrison, Smith is only a sophomore, and the slight figures to serve as fuel as he looks to prove himself on the biggest stage in the College Football Playoff.

The national respect for Ohio State was unmistakable when the Walter Camp Football Foundation released its All-America teams. Downs, Smith, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and linebacker Arvell Reese were all named first-team All-Americans, giving Ohio State more first-team selections than any other program in the country. Quarterback Julian Sayin and defensive end Caden Curry earned second-team honors, further highlighting the depth of elite talent in Columbus.

Smith’s first-team nod came after another historic season, one that made him just the third receiver in school history with multiple 1,000-yard campaigns. McDonald anchored the interior of the defensive line with relentless power and consistency, while Reese emerged as the heartbeat of the defense at linebacker, making plays in the backfield and in coverage. The praise didn’t stop with Walter Camp, either. The Athletic, CBS Sports, On3 and Pro Football Focus all echoed the sentiment, placing multiple Buckeyes on their All-America teams.

With more All-America announcements still to come next week, Ohio State is firmly positioned to produce several consensus selections. More importantly for Buckeye fans, these honors arrive with unfinished business still ahead. Awards validate greatness, but championships define legacies—and with Caleb Downs leading the way, Ohio State enters the College Football Playoff looking every bit like a team capable of adding another banner to the Horseshoe.