Former Alabama DB Caleb Downs receiving reps at RB for Ohio State

After the 2023 college football season concluded, former star Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back entered the NCAA transfer portal. He ultimately decided to move north and commit to the Ohio State Buckeyes. This was the second-biggest loss of Alabama’s offseason, behind only the retirement of head coach Nick Saban.

While he was an impressive freshman in 2023, Downs was easily one of the best overall plays in all of college football. His decision to transfer out of the Crimson Tide program was a hit that couldn’t be healed in full. DeBoer and the coaching staff were only able to add pieces that mitigated the damage done by Downs’s absence.

Last season, Downs had 101 total tackles, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery, two interceptions and three passes defended. Head coach Ryan Day hopes to have that level of production from Downs translate to the Buckeyes secondary.

While he is still a strong defensive back and will be a key starter for Ohio State in 2024, Downs is also now getting some practice reps as a running back.

The conversations about the possibility of Downs playing some running back was initiated by Downs when meeting with Day while he was in the transfer portal.

“It was part of the recruiting process (him) possibly doing a little bit of running back as well,” said Day. “It’s something he wanted to do. We’ve been having him in some of the meetings and some of the individual drills as a possibility there if needed down the road as we continue to build depth at that position.”

While it may seem odd, Downs was an exceptional running back at high school before moving to defensive back full time in college. It’s also worth noting that the prospect of highly talented players playing multiple positions on both sides of the ball is not too uncommon nowadays.

While it’s certainly unexpected,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/former-alabama-db-caleb-downs-232802283.html

Author : Roll Tide Wire

Publish date : 2024-06-21 23:28:02

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