The Buckeyes have a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist for the fourth straight year.
Ohio State announced Tuesday that Caleb Downs is one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, which honors college football’s best defensive back.
The Best Defensive Player in the country is a
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) October 28, 2025
@caleb_downs2 x @jimthorpeaward pic.twitter.com/bNTlcvWaNN
Joining Downs as a semifinalist are: LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane, USC safety Bishop Fitzgerald, Tulsa cornerback Elijah Green, Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood, San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, TCU safety Jamel Johnson, Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, Cincinnati safety Antwan Peek Jr., Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds, Miami cornerback Keionte Scott, Texas safety Michael Taaffe, Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell and Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman.
A finalist for last season's Jim Thorpe Award, Downs has been one of the nation's best defensive backs again in 2025, collecting 34 tackles, two tackles for loss and one interception in seven games. Downs earned AP midseason All-American honors for his performance to this point, and he continues to be ranked as one of the top prospects available in the 2026 NFL draft.
Before Downs' 2024 and 2025 nominations, Denzel Burke was named a semifinalist for the award in 2023, and Lathan Ransom was a semifinalist in 2022. Finalists for the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award will be announced on Nov. 25. The award winner will be announced in December.
