Caleb Downs Named a Semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award
10/29/2024 4:34:00 PM | Football
Leads all Ohio State defensive backs with 31 tackles through seven games
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State sophomore safety Caleb Downs is one of 15 semifinalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, which goes annually to the nation's top defensive back. The announcement was made this afternoon by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame (OSHOF) and Jim Thorpe Association. The award finalists will be announced as part of a special presentation by ESPN on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Downs has started all seven games and is the Buckeyes' leading tackler among defensive backs with 31 total stops. He's added 5.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. In the last two games – contests vs. Oregon and Nebraska – Downs' stat line includes 13 tackles and two tackles for loss. He has at least one TFL in each of the last four games.
Ohio State has top-10 national rankings in passing defense (eighth – 163.1 yards allowed per game), total defense (second – 254.4 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (fourth – 11.9 points allowed per game).
Downs and the rest of the fourth-ranked Buckeyes travel to State College, Pa. on Saturday to face No. 3 Penn State at noon inside Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised to a national audience on FOX.
