On New Year’s Day, the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) will make their fifth College Football Playoff appearance under Kirby Smart. A UGA win in the Sugar Bowl would punch its ticket to the CFP semifinal. Barring an upset from the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1) vs. No. 10 Miami (10-2), the Bulldogs are on a path to collide with No. 2 Ohio State (11-1) there. Calendars are already being circled for what could be a de facto national championship game between the Dawgs and the Buckeyes on Jan. 8.
One Ohio State star is very excited about the prospect of facing off with the Dawgs.
Caleb Downs’ Feelings on Playing UGA in the CFP
Ohio State star Caleb Downs has made it clear that he’d love the chance to play against Georgia, the team he grew up watching.
Tuesday, on “Down 2 Business,” a weekly podcast the star safety does with his brother, Josh Downs of the Indianapolis Colts, Caleb discussed his feelings about possibly playing UGA in the semifinal.
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Co-host Josh Downs asked his brother, “How cool is that? Just getting to play UGA in the semifinal.”
Caleb responded, “I haven’t played them since my freshman year. I mean Miami and Texas A&M, they are great teams so it will be — the focus is on them first.” The Buckeye began nodding his head in excitement. “But if we get to that point — we definitely lit, we definitely lit.”
The look on his face says it all.
Georgia has faced its former target once, in 2023, when Downs was a member of the Crimson Tide. The Bulldogs’ pursuit of three national championships in a row ended in a 27-24 loss in the SEC championship. UGA most recently squared off with Ohio State in the 2022 CFP, which ended in an all-time classic 42-41 final.
Before this anticipated matchup becomes reality, Georgia will have to beat the winner of No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1) and No. 11 Tulane (11-2) on Jan. 1. Ohio State will face the winner between No. 7 Texas A&M (11-1) and No. 10 Miami (10-2) on Dec. 31.
Caleb Downs’ History with UGA
OSU standout safety Caleb Downs has storied ties with UGA. The unanimous first-team All-American went to high school 20 miles outside of Athens at Mill Creek High and grew up a Georgia fan. Kirby Smart & Co. heavily recruited Downs, so his future repping the “G” seemed almost certain. Unfortunately, Bulldogs fans had to deal with the heartbreak of missing out on the hometown superstar not once, but twice.
Out of high school, Caleb Downs heavily considered UGA but ultimately signed with Alabama. At the time, the Hoschton, Georgia, native, who ranked as the No. 7 overall recruit in the country, stated that Nick Saban and the legacy of his program were the main deciding factors.
“Coach Saban, the pedigree they have there and the opportunity to play early with the timing of it, which was a good opportunity,” Downs said after picking Bama.
The state’s No. 1 high school recruit would only play one season at Alabama in 2023, as it would be Nick Saban’s last. Downs entered the transfer portal after the conclusion of the 2023 season and the announcement of his coach’s retirement.
The real crushing moment for Georgia was recruitment No. 2 of the sought-after defensive back.
When the Alabama star entered the portal ahead of the 2024 season, it was widely believed that UGA was a lock-up until his announcement. Downs, the No. 1-ranked transfer in the country, shocked the Classic City when he rejected the Dawgs once again and signed with Ohio State.
The consensus is that the decision was financial. It was reported that the Buckeyes offered Downs a NIL deal worth over $1 million per year. Georgia was only offering half of that at most, according to ugasports.com of Rivals.
What dollar amount a player is worth is a complex question, but Downs has certainly been everything OSU has hoped. The former Bulldogs fan has been one of the best players in all of college football over the last three seasons.
“Georgia was a really big school for me, just because I grew up here,” Downs told Dawgnation’s Connor Riley. “And being really familiar with the coaching staff, coach Kirby, (Will) Muschamp and T-Rob had just went there. So it was a really big opportunity to go there.”
