Exclusive: Ohio States’ Caleb Downs Credits ‘NFL Bloodline’ and Safety GOATs for His Rise

Caleb Downs will enter his junior season with high expectations.

The 20-year-old safety more than lived up to expectations during his first season with the Ohio State Buckeyes, leading the best defensive unit in the country while helping the Buckeyes win their first national championship in a decade.

Downs' season culminated with a championship, a unanimous All-American selection and a Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year award. To top things off, he was recently named one of the cover athletes of the deluxe edition of NCAA Football 26. 

The best defensive back in college football comes from a football family, with his brother, Josh Downs, currently playing for the Indianapolis Colts. His father, Gary Downs, played several years in the NFL and his uncle, Dre Bly, won a Super Bowl and played 11 years in the NFL as a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback.

"I would say different things from each of them," says Downs in a one-on-one interview when asked what he's learned from his football family members. 

"From Dre, a lot of it is just specific to defensive back, whether that's him training me a couple times when I was in high school, just learning from the things that he always looked at when he played, just from mentality of how he played defensive back, because he was an elite DB when he played. Learning that type of stuff from Dre is always a good thing, just because he excelled at the position," he told SportsBoom.com. 

Bly is currently an assistant defensive backs coach with the New York Jets. Downs says he often seeks advice from his uncle, who has been a defensive backs coach since 2019.

"We talked about playing DB and how I wanted to improve in my game and talked about the ways that I could implement some of the things that he did when he played," says Downs. 

"We were just together probably a week and a half ago, a week ago. Those conversations definitely happen."

Learning From His Father and Brother

While his father and brother's background is on offense, Downs says he's learned a lot from them, especially in regards to "being a pro" from his father. His father played seven years in the NFL as a running back.

"From my dad, he was a pro for seven years, just learning what it means to actually be a pro and to handle yourself like a pro, and somebody that handles their business every day," says Downs on his father. 

"I respect my dad for that a lot."

Downs says he's also learned from his brother's experiences. Josh is three years older and has spent his first two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

"For my brother, he's three years ahead of me," says Downs. 

"Going through everything that he's been through, I'm pretty much falling behind him. Everything that I'm going through right now he's already been through. Just his experiences and everything like that is monumental to me. Just knowing that if he's been through it, I can do it, and it's a big thing."

Troy Polamalu & Ed Reed, the GOATs

While Bly is obviously a significant influence on Downs as a defensive back, he mentions Pittsburgh Steelers great Troy Polamalu and Baltimore Ravens icon Ed Reed as two safeties he looked up to while growing up. Downs — who was born in 2004 — obviously spent his formative years watching Polamalu and Reed terrorize opposing offensive players.

"I would say watching Troy Polamalu as a kid, it was a great thing to watch just how free he played and how loose he did everything," says Downs. 

"Watching him and Ed Reed play were probably the two biggest impacts on me at safety."

Polamalu and Reed are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and they were considered the best safeties during their playing careers. 

Downs details that Polamalu's "reckless abandonment" and Reed's ability to play in the deep side of the field is what makes those two safeties favorites of the Buckeyes safety.

The Steelers great was a two-time Super Bowl champion, Defensive Player of the Year and eight-time Pro Bowler. Meanwhile, Reed was also a Super Bowl champ, Defensive Player of the Year, nine-time Pro Bowler and three-time interceptions leader. 

"I would say Ed Reed plays so well in the deep part of the field, just him making plays on the ball was just second to none," says Downs. 

"The reckless abandonment and freeness that Troy Polamalu played with, you can't really describe it."