Caleb Downs has five-star talent, but it’s his preparation for each game that makes him special.
The new Ohio State safety is such a student of the game that his opponents in high school often thought he had stolen their signs.
“He knew film so well, and it’s funny because of how the college game is now with the emphasis on stolen signs and signals and all this other stuff, I had some high school coaches ask me ’Man, do you have our signals? Because Caleb is over there calling out plays,’” said Mill Creek High School coach Josh Lovelady. “He’d say ‘Here comes a smash route.’ I’d say ‘Coach, go look at your film, he just knew that whenever you had No. 8 here, and No. 7 there, and motioned this, he did all the data analysis and had it memorized.’ You talk about impressive for a high school kid.”
OSU added Downs, arguably the best player available in the portal this offseason, to its roster nearly two weeks ago, and the hype hasn't died down much in Columbus.
Downs brings plenty of accolades to Columbus following a debut collegiate season where he was the National Freshman of The Year at Alabama after he recorded 107 tackles (3.5 for loss), two interceptions, four pass breakups, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and even returned a punt for a touchdown.
To learn more about the impact Downs could have on the Buckeyes going forward, we caught up with Lovelady, who coached Downs in high school at Mill Creek (Hoschton, Georgia). Topics discussed include Downs' freshman year at Alabama, how he prepares for each game, his recruitment with Ohio State the first time around and more.
The interview has been slightly edited for length and clarity.
Q: It's not every day a freshman safety comes in, starts day one and finishes with 100-plus tackles. What did you make of Caleb's first season in college and his rise to stardom?
Josh Lovelady: I wasn't surprised, so to speak. I knew physically for four years his development and what he could do. A lot of times when you get to college, you say 'OK, this kid has to gain 10 pounds. Or get in the weight room or redshirt.' I knew physically he could do it, as far as all the things that were needed at that position, well it's the University of Alabama, there is a depth chart there and it's usually a pretty dadgum loaded one. Nick Saban's scheme is complex, the question was, how much could he contribute?
It was pretty quick, I think after his initial bowl game prep and first spring with Alabama, coaches called me and said 'Coach, what you don't see on film as far as how he studies the game is where Caleb is elite.' I knew because he did it for me, but (former Crimson Tide assistant Travaris Robinson) called me and said 'You ain't kidding coach, there's kids that know ball and kids that dive in and want to know the why every time.'
Q: Going back to his high school days, it seems like he could have played every single position for you. He was a dynamic punt returner and set the school record for most interceptions in a career. Just how special was he?
Lovelady: Let's see. He scored catching the ball, rushing the ball, pick-sixes and punt returns. The only thing he didn't do, and we even practiced it just playing around, was to score by kicking. As far as offense, defense and special teams, he kept scoring, so he said ‘Hey coach I'm ready to kick a PAT.’
He was a dynamic wildcat quarterback and knew all four positions on offense, he played running back for us as well. The law of the lid as a coach, you never want to sit there and fill his head too full to where it runs over and you have a mess. I never found that with Caleb. He was always a sponge. It was always ‘OK, we're going to put a motion in, and then we're going to do this.’ Offensively or defensively with scheme, I just never found (something too complicated). I was more hesitant than he was. I'd always ask ‘Is this too much?’ And he'd tell me ‘Coach, I'm good.’ It was really a fun experience in high school having all the things he could do and the things he was excited to do.
Q: I'm not sure how much either he or his family were in touch with you the second time around in his recruitment once he entered the transfer portal, but obviously Ohio State was a big contender for Caleb initially in his recruitment in high school. What did you see from them in terms of their plan for Caleb and what was your experience with the staff when Ohio State was in the midst of pursuing Caleb?
Lovelady: Ohio State did a great job. Ryan Day and his staff were very active. When Caleb came back from visiting Ohio State the first time, he really liked the idea of the school and the city. It was unique. Sometimes you get these college towns where all there is is the college. Especially down in the south. He really liked the idea of what having a city can bring add to the experience as well in addition to the college.
But I think they did a great job with him the first time and having the familiarity of knowing what they were going to do there along with the coaches that were still there from when they recruited him helped. I wasn't too much involved in it, other than with his dad and helping him connect the dots. But when I talked with him, the familiarity with the staff was big, he wasn't going to open up his recruiting big time, he didn't have time for that. The uniqueness of the defense and the coordinator there was a factor too.
Q: He told us Tuesday that he received 102 calls in the first eight hours or so of him entering the transfer portal. So, there was clearly no shortage of interest in the player he is, obviously. You said he studies the game so exceptionally well that even college coaches are surprised. He'll be playing the adjuster role (free safety) in Ohio State’s defense, what insight can you provide on what he'll bring to Columbus and what will stand out when fans first watch him play at Ohio Stadium?
Lovelady: I think you got a little taste of it if you watched how comfortable he was. A lot of times when you put in freshmen, the message is just ‘Do your job. Let the others lead and let the others make the calls.’ It's one thing to make 100 tackles at Alabama. It's another thing to be verbal in the back end of the defense, especially since the safety is the back end of the defense the way the game is now with motions and formations. What Ohio State is getting is a built-in back-end guru so to speak. A guy who is going to know the game, be confident in himself and in the scheme. If he doesn't know it, he's going to make sure he's prepared every week.
Even in high school. He had the most watched Hudl film from when he stepped in our doors as a freshman until his senior year every week. There wasn't one time that I checked who was watching our Hudl (he didn't watch the most). In fact, he'd wear me out on a Sunday. He'd just tell me ‘Coach, the cutup is ready.’ He wasn't one of those five-stars that just said ’We're playing this game this week, we're good.’ There's some teams we played where he could have just walked out there and he would have been OK.
He knew film so well, and it's funny because of how the college game is now with the emphasis on stolen signs and signals and all this other stuff, I had some high school coaches ask me ‘Man, do you have our signals? Because Caleb is over there calling out plays.’ He'd say ‘Here comes a smash route.’ I'd say ‘Coach, go look at your film, he just knew that whenever you had No. 8 here, and No. 7 there, and motioned this, he did all the data analysis and had it memorized.’ You talk about impressive for a high school kid, he did the same thing when I heard feedback from Alabama. His film study and his preparation mentally at a level like that was elite. That's where a lot of people see the Saturday results from it, but his preparation is at a higher level.
I know a couple of times the coaches at the previous stop would tell me ‘Coach, we'd find him a dark room, and the lady custodians would be cleaning up at night and didn't see that he was in there.’ He'd have a film in his palm and he's taking notes, no one else is even in there. Everyone else is gone. You know these kids have these facilities and can go in and watch film at any time without coaches, and he's in there soaking it up and taking notes and all this other stuff. What they're getting at Ohio State is someone that will never be underprepared, that's for sure with the way he approaches the game.
Another thing, his leadership ability being a young person is at a high level. A lot of times as a young person you feel you have to earn your way in or earn your stripes. He's humble and you can see it in how he plays, but he's a kid who isn't going to be afraid to have confidence and be bold, communicating and a leader on the field.
Q: Is there a specific moment, whether it came in a practice or game, that comes to mind with Caleb where you just reflect and that's when you thought ‘Wow, this kid is really special?’
Lovelady: There's a lot of them. Probably the state championship in 2022. He was in Wildcat and we called outside zone. Just pure Wildcat, simple play. We run it and they've got him bottled up. He's hauling butt, comes to a complete stop, shakes two kids and then runs to the end zone. It was just one of those ‘How did he make that play?’ You sat there in a goal line package and think ‘Man, they got us.’ Then ‘Holy cow.’ You could hear a pin drop from the mics. It was just like, what just happened?
Another time when we played Carrollton High School, there was a bad play call on my end, and he sat there, was hauling butt, came to a complete stop, did a little shake, and next thing you know he's in the end zone. It was one of those special moments where you say ‘That's Caleb.’
Probably one more thing to add in terms of what Ohio State is getting, he's not just a star in the field, but in the community. He's going to be a kid that's going to be involved in that program. In high school, he was in National Honor Society. He was at youth camps and his phone would be blowing up with recruiters, but he came out and volunteered with our camp every year. We ran a special needs Best Buddies kind of club that he volunteered for. My daughter has Down Syndrome, so he'd go out of his way to take time for other things that weren't just football. He's also very well-rounded in his faith.
You're going to see someone on the field that is going to be special, but also the impact he makes in the locker room and with the fans, he'll represent that school well because he did such a good job at Mill Creek of being such a well-rounded young man.
