generic Alabama fends off Georgia and Ohio State to land 2023 5-star safety Caleb Downs
The 2023 Alabama football recruiting class just got a huge boost on Wednesday afternoon when 2023 safety and Georgia native Caleb Downs announced his commitment to Alabama. The commitment gives the Crimson Tide the No. 5 overall recruiting class, according to 247Sports’ rankings. He is the third player from the state of Georgia that has committed to Alabama.
Downs has a bloodline of football talent. His father, Gary played running back at North Carolina State before being drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1994 NFL draft. His brother, Josh currently plays wide receiver at North Carolina and was recently named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list. If that wasn’t enough, his uncle is Dre Bly. Bly was selected twice to the Pro Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The youngest of the Downs family, Caleb, is now set to make a name for himself. He will look to do that with the help of two of the best assistant coaches in the country, Charles Kelly and Travaris Robinson. The Georgia native plays with great instincts and is a sideline-to-sideline type of player. 247Sports’ Andrew Ivins compared Downs to Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid. In regards to how Downs plays, here is what Ivins had to say:
“The type of prospect that checks off all the right boxes. Always looks to be one step ahead of others. Athletic enough to get across the field and erase a touchdown, but also physical enough to come downhill and meet a running back in the A or B gap. Smooth and in control while in reverse as he keeps eyes in the backfield. Quick to trigger. Plants his cleats and drives towards the football better than most his age. Takes the right angles while in pursuit and has a few tricks to shed blocks once he meets traffic. Has experience working out of a variety of different coverages and has shown that he can be rather effective as a slot defender in certain situations. Owns a high football IQ, which likely stems from his film study habits as he likes to watch cut-up after cut-up and identify trends. Viewed by his high school coaches as not only a team leader but also a winner and someone that is going to do whatever it takes to elevate the play of those around him.”
Roll Tide Wire breaks down his recruiting profile below.
Rankings
Stars | Overall | State | Position | |
247 | 5 | 13 | 1 | 1 |
Rivals | 4 | 22 | 1 | 1 |
ESPN | 4 | 16 | 1 | 1 |
On3 Recruiting | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
247 Composite | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1 |
Vitals
Hometown | Hoschton, Georgia |
Projected Position | Safety |
Height | 6-0 |
Weight | 185 |
Class | 2023 |
Recruiting
Landed an offer from Alabama on February 17, 2021
Took an official visit to Alabama on June 17, 2022
Other offers
BREAKING: Five-Star Safety Caleb Downs (@caleb_downs2) has Committed to Alabama!
The No. 1 Safety in the nation chose the Crimson Tide over Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame, and UNC.
Downs is the third five-star defensive back in Alabama’s ‘23 Class 🐘https://t.co/IBU7Gkw1cK pic.twitter.com/7d4sAKdXzc
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) July 27, 2022
