Ohio State Buckeyes junior safety Caleb Downs has been named the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award winner, recognizing him as the nation’s top defensive back. The announcement came Friday night during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards show, where Downs emerged victorious over fellow finalists LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore. With this honor, Downs became only the third player in Ohio State history to claim the award, joining Antoine Winfield (1998) and Malcolm Jenkins (2008).
Downs’ 2025 season has been remarkable both statistically and in terms of his overall impact on the field. Over 13 games, he has recorded 60 total tackles, 40 of them solo, ranking third on Ohio State's roster. He also amassed five tackles for loss, one quarterback sack, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and one quarterback hurry. Downs thrives in different roles within the defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 229 snaps as a deep safety, 210 in the box, and 135 in the slot. In coverage, he has allowed just 4.1 yards per target.
Downs has been at the center of a defense that ranks among the nation’s best. The Buckeyes rank first nationally in total defense, scoring defense, and passing yardage, while sitting sixth in rushing defense. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown only six touchdown passes against Ohio State this season, and just one of their 13 opponents has managed 200 or more passing yards in a game. The 12-1 Buckeyes are building on last season’s success, when they finished 14-2, winning the College Football Playoff national championship with the nation’s No. 3-ranked pass defense and top scoring defense.
The Jim Thorpe Award is just one of many awards Downs has won this season. He secured the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year for the second consecutive season. He also earned the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which recognizes excellence on the field as well as leadership, character, academic achievement, and community service. Additionally, Downs was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, both of which honor the nation’s top defensive player, and has been selected to every major first-team All-America list, including Walter Camp, CBS Sports, and On3.
A former five-star Alabama signee, Downs led the Crimson Tide with 107 tackles as a true freshman in 2023 before transferring to Ohio State following Nick Saban’s retirement in January 2024. Beyond the field, he is a Scholar-Athlete in the Fisher College of Business, majoring in real estate and urban analysis. A football legacy, Downs is the younger brother of NFL receiver Josh Downs, and his father, Gary, played college football at NC State before becoming a coach.
Looking ahead, Downs will lead the Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff as a No. 2 seed. Ohio State will face the winner of the first-round matchup between No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami in the quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl on December 31.
