Downs, McDonald & Reese Win Big Ten Individual Awards
12/3/2025 1:00:00 PM | Football
The trio headlines a group of 16 all-Big Ten defensive and special team’s honorees from Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio – A trio of outstanding players on Ohio State’s defense have been named Big Ten Conference individual award winners at their position and headline a group of 16 Buckeyes who have earned Big Ten all-conference honors this season. The offensive all-Big Ten teams will be announced on Thursday.
Caleb Downs, the superb junior safety on Ohio State’s No. 1 rated defensive unit and who is a finalist for four major national awards, was named the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and, for the second consecutive season, the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. Downs is the 12th Buckeye to earn defensive player of the year honors and the first since Chase Young in 2019.
Downs is only the second two-time winner of the Big Ten’s defensive back of the year award but the first to win it in consecutive years.
Junior defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, a finalist for the Outland Trophy and who piled up 51 tackles, eight TFLs and three QB sacks this season, was named the Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year. McDonald is the 13th Buckeye to win defensive lineman of the year honors, the first since Chase Young in 2019 and the sixth Ohio State honoree for coach Larry Johnson.
And junior linebacker Arvell Reese, a finalist for the Butkus Award and who was second on the team with 60 tackles, 10 TFLs and 6.5 QB sacks, was named the Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year. Reese joins Tommy Eichenberg (2023) as a recipient of the linebacker of the year award.
All three players were named first-team all-Big Ten and were joined on the defense by fellow Buckeyes LB Sonny Styles (media and coaches votes), DE Caden Curry (media) and CB Davison Igbinosun (media).
Additional Ohio State honorees:
- Long snapper John Ferlmann earned second-team honors by the coaches.
- All-Big Ten third team selections were CB Jermaine Mathews (coaches) and SAF Jaylen McClain (media).
- Earning honorable mention accolades: K Jayden Fielding, DT Eddrick Houston, return specialist Brandon Inniss, DE Kenyatta Jackson, CB Lorenzo Styles, DT Tywone Malone and LB Payton Pierce.
2025 Ohio State All-Big Ten Conference Defensive Honorees:
Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year: Caleb Downs
Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year: Caleb Downs
Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year: Kayden McDonald
Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year: Arvell Reese
First-team coaches – Caleb Downs, Kayden McDonald, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles
First-team media – Caleb Downs, Caden Curry, Davison Igbinosun, Kayden McDonald, Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles
Second-team coaches – Curry, Igbinosun
Second-team media – John Ferlmann
Third-team coaches – Jermaine Mathews, Ferlmann
Third-team media – Jaylen McClain
Honorable mention coaches – McClain, Kenyatta Jackson, Lorenzo Styles, Tywone Malone, Brandon Inniss (return specialist), Jayden Fielding
Honorable mention media – Eddrick Houston, Mathews, Jackson, Styles, Payton Pierce, Malone, Inniss (return specialist)
