Caleb Downs Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio State Buckeyes landed the top transfer player in the portal last month when they secured the commitment of superstar Alabama transfer safety Caleb Downs. And head coach Ryan Day is understandably excited about it.

During his press conference on Wednesday, Ryan Day explained just how pleased Ohio State is to have Caleb Downs joining the team after the spectacular season he had as a true freshman with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“You saw what he did as a freshman, to say we’re all excited to have him a part of the program is an understatement,” Day said according to On3. “He brings a lot to the table, you guys will learn to that. I won’t get into all that right now, but his talent is exceptional. But he’s already created an unbelievable amount of discipline in his life, he’s created the skills to play the safety position at a high level.”

Day said that Downs has already encouraged competition among the players in Ohio State’s secondary, which is widely projected to be among the best in the country, but he’s also been embraced by the team.

“But I’ll tell you, it’s fun because that secondary, I mean they’re competitive now. Like they’re not gonna take a backseat to anybody. So everyone sat up a little straighter when he walked in and that was good,” Day smiled and said. “But they embraced him, he knows those guys through the recruiting process so it’s gonna be some great competition this spring. But he is very very talented, and what’d he have, 107 tackles as a freshman in the SEC? My goodness.”

We’ll have to see how Downs performs in his first season with the Buckeyes.

[On3]