Ohio State finished the regular season 12-0 but lost the Big Ten Championship to Indiana, falling 13-10 in Indianapolis and finishing 12-1.
Still, Ohio State’s defense ranked among the best in college football, allowing just 213.5 total yards and 8.2 points per game, both of which led the nation.
One of the biggest contributors was junior safety Caleb Downs, who was rewarded for his impactful 2025 campaign.
On Friday, Downs was officially announced as the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner, awarded annually to the nation’s top defensive back.
Downs joins Malcolm Jenkins and Antoine Winfield as the only Buckeyes who have won the Thorpe.Â
Downs arrived in college as a five-star safety (No. 5 recruit nationally, per Rivals), starred as a freshman at Alabama in 2023 (team-leading 107 tackles, SEC Freshman of the Year), then transferred to Ohio State ahead of 2024.
At OSU, he immediately became a defensive centerpiece, earning unanimous All-American honors and conference defensive-back awards after anchoring a top-ranked defense en route to a national championship in 2024.
In 2025, he continued that trajectory, posting 60 tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions, cementing his status as a leading 2026 NFL prospect.
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The timing of the honor adds to the distinction.
Ohio State enters the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed after a 12–1 season, less than 12 months removed from winning the program’s ninth national championship — a run fueled in part by Downs’ impact.
During that 2024 title season, Downs recorded 81 total tackles, six passes defended, two interceptions and 0.5 sacks.
This year, the Buckeyes earned a first-round bye and will play in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl quarterfinal on December 31 at AT&T Stadium, with the opponent coming from the first-round matchup between No. 10 Miami and No. 7 Texas A&M.
For a defense that has defined Ohio State’s identity, keeping Downs — now recognized as the nation’s top defensive back — healthy and productive remains central to any realistic path back to the title game.
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