Alabama football enrolled a good portion of its 2023 recruiting class in January.
Each of the Crimson Tide’s early enrollees will participate in the Crimson Tide’s full off-season program. Touchdown Alabama will highlight each of Alabama’s newest additions over the next few weeks in an article series.
We start our series with the highly-touted five-star defensive back, Caleb Downs.
Caleb Downs
-Classification: Freshman
–Position: Defensive Back
-Hometown: Hoschton, Georgia
-Height: 6-0
-Weight: 195 pounds
–Summary: There was major hype surrounding Downs throughout his recruitment, and all of it was deserved.
The Georgia native could have been listed as as the No. 1 player in the 2023 recruiting class, and it would have been hard to argue against it. Downs looks the part physically already at 6-foot and 195 pounds. He also fits the bill with how smoothly he moves as a defensive back. He fit right in when he was spotted practicing with the Crimson Tide ahead of the Sugar Bowl.
Former 5-Star DB Caleb Downs looks the part during Alabama football’s bowl prep. pic.twitter.com/TvV7YPPIjU
— Touchdown Alabama Recruiting (@TDARecruiting) December 28, 2022
Downs was basically a swiss-army knife for Mill Creek High School during his high school career. He saw snaps at wildcat quarterback, running back, wide receiver and safety. His all-around athleticism and versatility were enough to have almost every college coach in the county knocking at his door, but his high football I.Q. is what had coaches drooling.
It was not hard to notice Downs was the smartest player on the field when he strapped it up at the high school level. He played with elite anticipation, seeming to know where the ball was going before the ball was snapped. His anticipation skills led to many interceptions and tackles close to the line of scrimmage.
Downs is expected to come on campus and compete for immediate playing time. The Tide’s two safety positions are up for grabs with the departure of DeMarcco Hellams and Jordan Battle.
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Justin Smith is the Director of Recruiting for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via @Jdsmith31Smith
