Why Caleb Downs is the Ohio State football team's best player

When Caleb Downs transferred from Alabama, I was excited to see him play after he had a great freshman year for them. Now, after watching him play eight games, I have been blown away by the way he has played for Ohio State. He is the Ohio State football team's best player in my opinion. Below is the reason why.

Most football players are good in one area of football or one specific position. Caleb Downs is elite at two positions. He is excellent at playing in the box safety. Meaning he is excellent at helping in run support and pass coverage close to the line of scrimmage. As a tackler he is excellent.

Downs gets off blocks well and then is an excellent open-field tackler. Then, when he is playing as a flat defender in pass coverage, he is so good at covering players. He is also good as a deep safety in both run support and pass coverage. At both positions Downs is elite. It is a super impressive showing by Downs.

The play below is a great example. He is playing close to the line of scrimmage and he reads the play perfectly and makes the tackle in the backfield for a loss.

Caleb Downs has excellent man-to-man coverage skills. Tight end Tyler Warren is Penn State's best playmaker. Against USC, he had 17 catches, 224 yards, and a touchdown reception. Against Ohio State, he was largely shut down when he only had four catches for 47 yards. Downs is the primary reason why. He spent most of the game matched up with Warren, and he totally shut him down.

Downs is a safety who has cornerback skills. His ability to cover the opposing team's top playmakers is impressive. Covering Warren is an example of his ability to cover players. It is a type of skill that makes him invaluable in today's College Football game because of how diverse offenses are. Downs is someone who continues to play at a high level at safety and specifically covers players from the other teams.

The play below was an example of man-to-man coverage. Downs is locked up with Warren in coverage and he does a great job coming up and not allowing Warren to get free for more than a short pass.

Caleb Downs is an elite tackler for the Ohio State football team

Open-field tackling can be difficult against how talented offensive players are in today's game. Downs excels in this area. He is an elite tackler who rarely misses tackles. He is good at both tackling closer to the line of scrimmage and in the open field. Downs continues to make key tackles each and every week for the Ohio State football team.

In the play below, he is playing as a mid-safety position in Jim Knowles' three-safety position. Penn State is running jet sweep with Nicholas Singleton, a talented running back. Downs recognizes the play and then chases it down to make a swipe tackle in the open field. It was a great play by Downs.

Caleb Downs is one of the best players in College Football. He is Ohio State's best player on either side of the ball. If Ohio State is going to make a national title run, Downs will need to continue to play at a high level, and I expect he will.