3 potential landing spots for Caleb Downs in the transfer portal

There have been some big-time additions to the college football transfer portal this offseason, but few, if any, could be as impactful as the addition of former five-star safety Caleb Downs.

Downs was ranked No. 8 overall in the 247 Sports composite rankings for the 2023 class. He also played exceptionally well for the Crimson Tide this season as Alabama won the SEC title and advanced to the College Football Playoff.

In his first season as a starter, Downs recorded 107 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, four passes defended, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. It was elite production from an elite talent at 6-foot, 203 pounds. Yet, after the departure of Nick Saban and some other assistant coaches, Downs entered the portal on Tuesday morning according to Hayes Fawcett.

Caleb Downs was the No. 1 recruit in the state of Georgia for the 2023 class. He was also ranked as the top safety and here are three potential landing spots for the top player available in the transfer portal.

3. Notre Dame

Notre Dame football was one of the teams that got an official visit from Caleb Downs during his high school recruitment and while the Fighting Irish might be a long shot, the Irish have a stellar defense, which could be even better with Downs patrolling the secondary.

Notre Dame football also landed Riley Leonard from the transfer portal this offseason, so they can land top talent when needed. It would certainly take a solid NIL package to get Caleb Downs, but he visited South Bend before which shows a real interest. He could be interested again and it would be an incredible boon if Marcus Freeman could somehow pull it off.