Breaking: Georgia emerge favorites to land 5-star college football transfer
Moments after Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs entered his name into the college football transfer portal, the speculation machine went into overdrive predicting where the former five-star safety will play in 2024, and now two major programs have entered the mix to earn his commitment.
Georgia and Ohio State are the two favorites expected to contend for Downs’ pledge for this coming season, according to insiders. Both among the top-five favorites to win the national championship in 2024, the Bulldogs and Buckeyes were also in contention to sign Downs during his original recruitment.
GEORGIA OR OHIO STATE?
Both present an intriguing opportunity for an emerging secondary talent.
Ohio State is undergoing a coaching change after parting ways with safeties coach Perry Eliano, but overall played vastly-improved defense this past season, ranking 3rd nationally in total production, 2nd in scoring, and was No. 1 against the pass in 2023.
Moreover, the Buckeyes are expected to return an expected 16 players from last season’s roster and attracted key transfer portal additions like quarterback Will Howard from Kansas State and tailback Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss.
Georgia is the favorite to win the national championship at most sports books and is also expected to return another loaded defensive rotation, one led by former Alabama assistant Travaris Robinson, who will serve as co-DC and safeties coach. That addition, plus Downs hailing from Georgia, could end up tilting things in the Bulldogs’ favor ultimately.
Downs was named SEC Freshman of the Year after emerging as one of the best defensive backs in the league as the Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff.
A former five-star prospect and the No. 1 ranked safety in the 2023 recruiting class, Downs recorded 107 tackles and intercepted two passes while earning second-team All-SEC honors this season with Alabama.
Top target Jontae Gilbert raves about Georgia’s DB hires after recent visit
The former Ohio State commitment has a growing mutual interest with Georgia thanks to recent coaching changes.
Jontae Gilbert sat in Georgia’s defensive recruiting meeting room last weekend with all the other junior day prospects. It was already a home-run visit for the Bulldogs. But then, news dropped in the middle of the meeting. Georgia announced the hire Travaris Robinson to be co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Will Muschamp would be moving into an off-field analyst role.
It gave Glenn Schumann a chance to discuss the moves to everyone. The way Georgia handled all of it made a serious impression on Gilbert.
“Well, actually, all the defensive recruits were in a defensive meeting while that happened. So Coach Schumann got to talk about all that and what’s going to happen with T-Rob and Coach Muschamp. I love all those guys in the secondary. Coach T-Rob, I’ve got a really good relationship with too. It’s good to have them all there,” Gilbert told Dawgs247. “It was really shocking, but it was great news too.”
