The offseason has been kind to Georgia football thus far, and a recent development on Alabama All-American Caleb Downs may soon add to the good news for the Bulldogs.
The situation stems from Nick Saban’s retirement last week, which gave Alabama players the option to transfer for 30 days. Washington’s Kalen DeBoer took the open job and is attempting to keep Alabama’s talented roster intact.
Saban’s retirement led to more changes on the Crimson Tide’s staff, which Georgia benefited from by landing defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson from Tuscaloosa. He will serve in the safeties coach role in Athens in addition to serving as the co-defensive coordinator. Glenn Schumann is Georgia’s other co-defensive coordinator.
Per a Monday report from ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren, Downs is still contemplating whether he will stay in Tuscaloosa or play elsewhere.
Reportedly, Robinson’s decision to stay in Athens, despite Alabama’s attempt to get him back as defensive coordinator, is playing a big part in Downs’ decision. He will wait for Bama’s new staff to be put together before making a decision, which could come as soon as Tuesday.
Head coach Kirby Smart and staff just missed out on landing Downs in the 2023 recruiting class. The Hoschton, Georgia, native played at Mill Creek High School. Downs (6-foot, 203 pounds) was rated as the No. 1 safety and the No. 1 player in Georgia in his class, per 247Sports.
Downs looked just as advertised in his first season at Alabama where he totaled a team-leading 107 tackles, 40 more than the closest Crimson Tide defender. Downs also racked up three pass breakups, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The former five-star recruit was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Year in 2023, along with being selected to the Freshman All-American, first-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman teams.
Head coach Kirby Smart and staff have a long-standing relationship with Downs after recruiting him since he was a freshman in high school. Considering the elite level of secondary coaching UGA has, along with the addition of Robinson, the Bulldogs should be the favorite to land Downs if he does indeed enter the portal.
