2023 Football Roster
Caleb Downs
- Position:
- DB
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 203
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Hoschton, Ga.
- High School:
- Mill Creek
2023
Earned the starting strong safety spot for the Tide ... became the first Alabama freshman to lead his team in tackles in program history dating back to at least 1970 ... his 107 stops were also the most by a Tide freshman in the last 50-plus years ... named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year ... earned Freshman All-America recognition from the FWAA ... selected as a first team All-American by Pro Football Focus ... garnered second team All-America recognition from the Associated Press and The Sporting News ... also named a second-teamer by USA Today ... selected as the SEC Freshman of the Year by the conference coaches ... added first team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC accolades from the coaches ... also tabbed as the SEC Newcomer of the Year and a second team All-SEC honoree by the AP ... ranked fourth in the SEC in total tackles, including 3.5 for loss (-11 yards) ... part of four turnovers on the season, forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble for a return of 12 yards and picking off a pair of passes for a combined 11 yards ... also broke up four passes ... added four punt returns for a combined 87 yards with a touchdown during his rookie campaign ... garnered preseason true freshman All-America recognition from 247 Sports ... named SEC Freshman of the Week for his play against Middle Tennessee and at Mississippi State ... also earned Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Week accolades for his output in Starkville ... selected as one of the Alabama coaching staff's defensive players of the week for his efforts against MTSU, State and Chattanooga ... also named a special teams player of the week by the Tide coaches for his play against the Mocs. Middle Tennessee: Got the start at safety in his first collegiate game for the Crimson Tide ... finished with a team-high eight total tackles, including one for loss (-2 yards) ... helped the UA defense limit MTSU to only 133 yards passing. Texas: Tied for the team-high total for tackles with 10 stops ... also forced a fumble against the Longhorns. USF: Finished with four tackles in the non-conference pairing. Ole Miss: Posted five stops to go with a pass breakup against the Rebels. Mississippi State: Recorded a season-high 13 tackles in Starkville ... added his first career interception, returning the pick 11 yards. Texas A&M: Forced a huge turnover with a highlight-reel interception early in the third quarter ... also contributed seven tackles to rank second on the Tide defense. Arkansas: Tied for the team lead in tackles with seven stops against the Razorbacks. Tennessee: Accumulated nine tackles on the day. LSU: Led the Crimson Tide defense with a season-high tying 13 tackles. Kentucky: Finished as the team leader in tackles with seven, including half a tackle for loss (-1 yard) ... also recovered a fumble with a return of 12 yards. Chattanooga: Earned defensive and special teams player of the week recognition from the Tide coaches ... accounted for seven tackles and one pass breakup on defense ... entered at punt returner and finished with 90 combined yards and a touchdown across two returns ... found the end zone from 85 yards out. Auburn: Totaled five tackles, including one for loss (-7 yards), to go with a pass breakup. Georgia: Contributed four tackles, including one for loss (-1 yard), in the SEC Championship. Michigan: Led the Tide with eight tackles in the Rose Bowl ... also contributed one pass breakup.
High School and Personal Data
One of the top players in the 2023 recruiting class, regardless of position ... unanimous five-star recruit and the top-rated safety in the 2023 recruiting class by all major outlets ... unanimous No. 1 player in the state of Georgia ... the No. 6 recruit in the country on Sports Illustrated's SI99 list that ranked the top high school seniors in the class ... ranked No. 11 nationally on the 247Composite and No. 13 in the Top247 ... No. 11 nationally on both the On3 Consensus and the On3 rankings ... No. 12 on the ESPN300 list and the No. 7 player in the Southeast Region ... ranked 25th nationally in the Rivals100 ... member of the PrepStar Top 150 Dream Team ... selected to participate in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas ... played for head coach Josh Lovelady at Mill Creek High School ... recorded 334 rush yards and 370 passing yards as a senior on offense ... on the defensive side of the ball, registered 66 tackles with a sack, five interceptions and one fumble recovery ... as a junior was a two-way players, scoring five different ways (four rushing, two receiving, two interception returns, one kickoff return and threw one touchdown pass) ... credited with 77 tackles, 11 pass breakups and five interceptions as the team finished 11-2 ... MaxPreps Junior All-American and named the Region 8-AAAAAAA Defensive Player of the Year ... as a sophomore earned Sophomore All-America honors from MaxPreps ... played both ways, rushing for 175 yards and three touchdowns which catching two passes for 61 yards and a touchdown ... racked up 57 tackles with four interceptions ... made five interceptions as a freshman on the varsity squad ... a multi-sport athlete in high school (basketball and baseball) ... helped Mill Creek's basketball team to the Georgia AAAAAAA State Tournament ... brother, Josh, is a wide receiver at North Carolina while his father, Gary, was a running back for the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons ... uncle, Dre Bly, was a two-time Pro Bowl selection at cornerback and a Super Bowl XXXIV champion ... chose Alabama over Clemson, Georgia, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
