"He plays extremely aggressive": Matt Patricia drops eye-catching remarks about Ryan Day's prime weapon

Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia discussed how many different positions he could use safety Caleb Downs in during the Buckeyes' spring game on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.

"When you have pieces like Caleb and guys with that football knowledge and instincts, it's been great," Patricia said during a news conference on Monday. "The more he's been out there on the field, to really watch him on the field and how he moves, how he deciphers the game, how he sees it, you love those type of players.

"He's dynamic. This guy, he's smart, he plays extremely aggressive, he really knows the offense well. ... He does a great job with communicating on the field. He's been a lot of fun."

Downs has been a prime weapon on Day’s roster and has been exceptional in his first two college seasons, obtaining All-American honors both times. After moving from Alabama to Ohio State, he recorded 81 tackles, two interceptions and half a sack last season.

Speaking on the defense, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said:

“I’ll say this about this group: They are competitive, they’re edgy, they’re giving great effort on the field. That has been every practice so far," Day said (Timestamp: 30:50). "So, that is something that’s like a foundation you can build off of, and that’s been excellent.”

Meanwhile, Patricia, who joined Ohio State in February and has three Super Bowl wins to his name, was most recently in the NFL in 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive assistant coach.

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Ryan Day on Caleb Downs’ injury

On March 31, Ryan Day shared that Caleb Downs was dealing with a “nagging injury” that had limited his playing time in practice. However, he said that Downs would be fine, especially considering that he is still participating.

Ohio State beat writer Dan Hope reported that Day said Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain have both been stepping in at safety while Downs has been getting fewer reps.

Any limits on what Downs can do right now are probably just to be safe, as the season is still over five months away, and the team is not taking any risks.