Ohio State’s next promising star has Matt Patricia willing to risk Caleb Downs’ role entering his final college season
The Ohio State Buckeyes have the best individual offensive and defensive player in the country in Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. The defending national champions rank No. 2 in the nation entering their Week 1 showdown against Texas, but the journey until the end of August will determine how that game plays out. One key […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes have the best individual offensive and defensive player in the country in Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs. The defending national champions rank No. 2 in the nation entering their Week 1 showdown against Texas, but the journey until the end of August will determine how that game plays out. One key storyline is how first-year defensive coordinator Matt Patricia handles his talented but young unit.
Downs is certainly the featured piece of Patricia’s overhauled defense. The star safety led the team in defensive snaps last year and has been the epitome of a versatile super star. He played 339 snaps in the box, 393 as the free safety, 160 in the slot, and 11 at pure corner in 2024 alone.
That versatility is a blessing for Patricia, but it could bait him to into putting Downs into a role that might not maximize his skill set. That may not matter if Downs is still very good, and his replacement’s performance is significantly better than whoever would’ve been where Downs is now lining up.
Right now, Patricia sees Downs as a slot defender, taking the role of Jordan Hancock in 2024. That allows Jaylen McClain to join Malik Hartford as the other true safety.
McClain played 107 snaps in 2024 and Hartford played only 95. Interestingly, if Downs is in the slot, that takes away some potential playing time for freshman phenom Devin Sanchez, who earned starting buzz before practices began. Patricia is having to choose between a deep array of talent.
Here’s what Patricia had to say about his decisions thus far:
“Creating jobs for guys is really important. It gives them an opportunity to go learn and put themselves on the field. Downs is such a versatile player that he can do that and put him into different spots and give other guys the chance to get onto the field in those roles. I feel like that room is really working with some young guys having the chance to step up and contribute. It’s good for us to be able to evaluate those guys and see if they can, throughout the course of the season, do that.”
When asked about what he likes about Downs brings to the nickel role versus safety, Patricia alluded to his communication ability.
“He’s such a good communicator. Just to let everyone know we have words to settle everyone down…That’s critical. Otherwise, everyone is wondering where they’re going and where they fit.”
While I have no doubt Downs will be excellent if he’s moved inside more often, it’s surprising that Patricia would ask him to be assigned a position that generally is more defined than not, and he’s not taking advantage of his depth at cornerback. That bodes well for Hartford and McClain, though.
If Hartford and McClain are good enough to keep a couple of five and high four stars on the sideline, that means the Buckeyes’ pipeline at safety is even more impressive than expected. We’ll see how the coming weeks shake out as this position battle unfolds.
