Coming into this season, the Ohio State football team was presumed to have the best offensive and defensive players in the country. Jeremiah Smith is the best receiver in the country and is the best playmaker that the Buckeyes have on the roster.
Caleb Downs was recognized as the best defensive player coming into the year. Downs isn't just the best safety in the nation, but might be the best player overall. Arvell Reese has been playing like the best overall player in the country and has even been mocked as the top overall pick in next year's draft.
Downs has still been very good for the Ohio State Buckeyes. In fact, he has been good enough to be named as one of the four finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, which is given to the best defensive player in College Football. Based on the other finalists, Downs might have this award sewn up.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award
Other than Downs, Cashius Howell out of Texas A&M, Leonard Moore from Notre Dame, and Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech are the finalists. Downs is better than all of those players, and he plays for the number-one team in the country, which should give him a leg up.
So far this season, Downs has 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions. His tackles keep players from having big offensive plays, and his versatility allows the Buckeyes to do a lot of different things defensively. That's why they lead the country in most defensive stats.
Downs will have three more games to prove that he is worthy of winning this award. He has the final two regular-season games and then the Big Ten Championship. If he continues to make impact plays, there is a very good chance that he takes home this trophy at the end of the year.
Downs is more concerned with winning back-to-back national championships before heading to the NFL than he is about winning individual awards. It's part of what makes him such a great player.