The Ohio State Buckeyes made the biggest splash in the transfer portal this offseason when they added former Alabama Crimson Tide safety Caleb Downs earlier this month. And during his first interviews as a member of Ohio State this week, he opened up about that decision.
Caleb Downs decided to enter the transfer portal and leave Alabama after the sudden retirement of head coach Nick Saban. After entering the transfer portal, Downs’ decision came down primarily to Ohio State or the Georgia Bulldogs. But he ultimately went with the Buckeyes.
“I just love the program here,” Downs said according to Eleven Warriors. “I love Coach Walton and love what the people had to say around here. I believe in Coach Day, and I believe in this team.”
Though Downs will undoubtedly receive plenty of endorsement money from his name, image, and likeness during his time at Ohio State, he made it clear that his decision to commit to Ohio State was for football reasons, not money.
“At the end of the day, I love playing football. And that’s what I’m here to do,” Downs said. “I’m not here to make money or do anything like that. I know there’s a lot of opportunities here in terms of the city of Columbus, but at the end of the day, I’m here to help this team win football games and I’m here to do my best to try to develop.”
We’ll have to see how his career goes with the Buckeyes.
