Two Buckeye phenoms have been named to a national player of the year watch list.
Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith were named to the Walter Camp Player of Year watch list Monday. The award is given annually to the best collegiate football player in America voted on by head coaches and sports information directors around the country.
In Downs’ first season with the Buckeyes racking up 81 tackles, eight passes broken up and two interceptions, all while helping lead Ohio State to a national championship.
The junior out of Hoschton, Georgia is set for even greater heights coming off a season in which he earned unanimous first-team All-American honors, was the Big Ten conference’s Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year and was a Thorpe Award finalist.
Coming in as the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit, Smith had a similarly spectacular first year with the Buckeyes.
Smith led Ohio State with 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, breaking Cris Carter’s previously set freshman records.
His standout season earned him first-team All-America honors and recognition as the Big Ten’s Richter-Howard Wide Receiver of the Year.
Running backs Archie Griffin and Eddie George claimed Ohio State’s first three Walter Camp Awards — Griffin twice (1975-76) and George once (1995) — while quarterback Troy Smith was the most recent Buckeye to earn the honor, doing so in 2006.
