New Ohio State cornerback Caleb Downs said that he received 102 phone calls the day he entered the transfer portal at Alabama earlier this month.
Downs, who was a freshman All-American in his first year of college football, quickly became one of the most sought after transfer prospects in the short history of the portal.
“I got 102 calls in one day –well, not in one day, probably seven or eight hours,” Downs told the media on Monday in Columbus. “Just being able to minimize what my mind was going through, that was a big thing for me to make a sound decision,” he added.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs said he fielded 102 calls from schools in 7-8 hrs after he entered the portal ????. He was the top overall player available pic.twitter.com/Ouw4WcjDam
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) January 30, 2024
Downs was thorough, but didn’t rush his decision. After talking it over with his family, Downs ended up selecting Ohio State around 48 hours after announcing his transfer decision from Alabama. It was widely expected that he would transfer to Georgia, where his defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson had just taken a job following Nick Saban’s retirement.
Georgia was in the running but Downs ultimately ended up with the Buckeyes, where he is expected to step in and anchor a very good defense in 2024.
“There was definitely some back-and-forth, there was a lot to think about and process between me and my family,” Downs said when asked about Georgia. “At the end of the day, I made the decision, and I’m here [at Ohio State].”
Now Downs and Ohio State will look to regain footing atop the Big Ten, and perhaps once again compete for a national championship.
