Caleb Downs On Key To Ohio State Buckeyes Repeating As National Champs & Being An NCAA Football 26 Cover Athlete

Caleb Downs may be the best defensive back in football, but he knows he still has room to grow.

The reigning Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year is coming off of a sensational season in his first year with the Ohio State Buckeyes. The 20-year-old won the national championship while leading the nation’s best defensive unit while being named a unanimous All-American selection.

Downs is already certainly accomplished, but he’s looking to improve in key areas – such as his tackling – as he enters potentially his last season in Columbus.

“It’s always a good thing to try to improve on things, especially at your position,” says Downs in a one-on-one interview. “We have to cover a lot at safety, and in my main opportunities, I want to do well in those and excel at that. I want to tackle a little bit more efficient, just to hone in on that and hone in on the skill of tackling. Because some people, they may overlook it at some point. Those two and then just playing in the deep part of the field.”

All eyes will be on Downs as he enters his junior season, which is nothing new for the Georgia native. Downs was one of the top high school recruits in the class of 2023, regarded as the top safety prospects and one of the top 10 prospects in his class.

To top it all off, Downs comes from a football family, with his father Gary Downs having played several years as a running back in the NFL. His brother, Josh Downs, is currently a receiver for the Indianapolis Colts and his uncle, Dre Bly, was a top cornerback in the NFL during his 11-year playing career, winning a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Buckeyes didn’t have a perfect season last year, losing against Oregon and Michigan – in a major upset – during the regular season. However, they won when it mattered most, smoking the Oregon Ducks in the rematch during the playoffs. They also defeated Texas and Notre Dame to eventually win the national championship.

The Buckeyes will face off against the Texas Longhorns in the season opener in a rematch of that College Football Playoff game.

“I feel very good, very confident in our team and our ability to play ball,” says Downs. “I believe we’ve a young team and everything like that, but we’re still the type of athleticism and talent that is needed to play at the highest level so very confident in who we have and what we’re going to do.”

Downs outlines the biggest thing that he learned last season during their run to the national championship was “leadership.” He also outlines being on “the same page” as a key trait for the Buckeyes to repeat as national champions.

“The importance of leadership, the importance of having people that can get everybody on the same page and get a singular focus to allow yourself to have the best chance to win,” says Downs.

Caleb Downs On The Deluxe Cover Of NCAA Football 26

While Downs is busy preparing to win another national championship, he’ll occupy some of his time by playing NCAA Football 26.

The newest version of EA Sports’ college football game is now available and Downs is on the cover of the deluxe edition of the game. He singles out playing 1-on-1 against fellow friends and teammates as his favorite game mode.

“I like to play one-on-one with people, so I can’t say a certain game mode,” says Downs when asked what his favorite game mode is. “I don’t talk a lot of trash.”

The All-American safety mentions NCAA Football 11 as his favorite game cover of the series, which featured Florida Gators star Tim Tebow. Tebow graces the cover again 15 years later on the deluxe edition alongside Downs.

Downs calls being on the cover a “joyful moment” where he joins his teammate, Jeremiah Smith, as cover athletes. Smith and Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams are the main cover athletes of the game.

“It was a joyful moment,” says Downs. “When I heard the news and everything like that, it was an honor. Just to think in the future, whenever I have kids or anything, that’s just something that I can always tell my son, your dad was on a cover of a video game. Which is a pretty interesting thing to tell somebody.”

NCAA Football 26 Comes Up Big In Follow-Up Effort To Last Year’s Game

EA Sports’ NCAA Football video game series returned last year to much fan acclaim. It was the first college football video game since NCAA Football 14 and fans reacted in a major way. Not only did the game receive rave reviews, it sold over 2.2 millions units of the deluxe edition and became the best-selling sports video game in terms of dollar sales, according to Sports Business Journal. For perspective, NCAA Football 14 sold 1.5 million copies.

This time around, the game has added new features, including over 300 real-life coaches – not all of them are included, such as Miami’s Mario Cristobal – a Road To Glory High School Experience, and more of the big-game experience when you’re playing in rivalry and ranked games.

For example, if you’re playing in dynasty mode and playing the season opener between two ranked teams in the Miami Hurricanes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish – the game will take place in Miami at Hard Rock Stadium this season – you can be assured that big-time players will come up in big-time moments such as fourth-and-short conversions and goal-line stands.

The added layer to real-life coaches being included is the coaching carousel that takes place in dynasty mode, which sees big-name coaches changing schools on a yearly basis every offseason.

The gameplay was fun last season and different from the Madden experience, resulting in a more arcade-like experience. Games were often high scoring and it was easy to score.

This time around, the gameplay is more refined and games tend to be lower scoring, even on easier game difficulty levels such as varsity. In other words, the gameplay resembles a little bit more of a real-game feel, especially when you’re playing against top-ranked defenses in big games such as Notre Dame, a unit that ranked fifth in defense last season.

While the game probably won’t have the same buzz as last season since it doesn’t have the allure of returning after an 11-year hiatus, NCAA Football 26 is a great game and arguably a slight improvement over last year’s version. The improved gameplay and the added features result in an enjoyable experience, which is impressive considering there were little-to-no flaws in last year’s game.