“Caleb Downs is like an alien”: CFB analyst Josh Pate has high praise for former Alabama star

Ryan Day's Ohio State has been fighting for the No. 1 spot on many post-spring rankings. The Buckeyes have done well under Day, reaching the College Football in three of the previous four seasons before losing to Michigan and missing the cut last season while going 56-8 overall.

Day was successful in retaining most of the Buckeyes' key elements from last season, including Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson, and a good list of transfers who can potentially lead them to a national championship, including five-star recruit Julian Sayin, Will Howard, Caleb Downs and Quinshon Judkins.

Highlighting the importance of Downs, the former Alabama star, on his YouTube channel "Late Kick with Josh Pate," the college football analyst said:

"I think he could be the best football player on Ohio State's team, and Ohio State's loaded. Ohio State had a ton of guys that could have gone out for the draft that came back which doesn't discount who they are. I'm just saying, No. 2 there in Crimson, from last year, is like an alien.

"But (when) I was in there working out, Downs was in there working out. And afterwards someone walked by and said just the perfect encapsulation of what it's like being around Caleb Downs. He said, 'Can you believe God made that?' Yeah, that's about the only place you could get the talent like that."

Bust or national championship for Ohio State in 2024?

After beating big guns like Oregon, Georgia and Texas in the post-spring rankings, the pressure on Ryan Day's crew is building day by day. After losing to Michigan three years in a row, fans want to see the Buckeyes beat Sherrone Moore's crew in the 2024 season.

College football analyst J.D. PicKell, via On3's YouTube channel, weighed in on the external and internal pressure faced by Day's crew and what he likes about them:

"What I like about this team, specifically this group they have right now – in-house coaches and roster alike – nobody in that organization has flinched, and they completely understand the pressure, the expectations and what they need to do in 2024. ... To have experienced the worst possible result and be able to pick yourself up, regroup and go after it again, that's a dangerous group.

"That is a hardened group, that is a calloused group, and for the record, this is a really freakin talented group. ... So, is it natty or bust for Ohio State in 2024? Absolutely. Is it always? Yeah, I think it's a fair statement to say. But the external and the internal pressure, the internal pressure they've invited upon themselves, it's gonna be a good one."

It will be interesting to see whether Ohio State will get its revenge against Michigan or face another loss in the upcoming season.