Ohio State makes its move to try and prevent Alabama transfer from going to Georgia

Whoever ends up landing Caleb Downs in the transfer portal may be the favorite to win the national championship next year between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Ohio State Buckeyes. You could argue for the Texas Longhorns being in that conversation as well, along with a few others, but Downs' first team in the Alabama Crimson Tide is expected to pull back big time under head coach Kalen DeBoer.

Downs committed to Alabama to play for Nick Saban out of high school. The star defensive back hails from Hoschton, Georgia, not far from the state capital of Atlanta, or that far from the University of Georgia in Athens. With Downs having a close connection with Georgia head coach Kirby Smart, as well as his former position coach Travaris Robinson joining the UGA staff, the Dawgs are the favorites.

However, Ohio State has sent members of its football program to Down's hometown for an official in-home visit. It may not get him to go to Columbus, but you have to admire Ohio State making its move. Without question, these are two of the five best programs in the country. That is the same level of operation Alabama had been under Saban, as well as what Texas is becoming under Steve Sarkisian.

Again, Georgia should be favored to land Downs, but Ohio State is very much in the mix for him, too.

Caleb Downs being visited at home by Ohio State football program

Do I have a preference on where I want Downs to end up? Oh, absolutely, but that is not up to me. He should go wherever he feels most comfortable. Whether that is Athens, Columbus or somewhere else entirely, that decision should be up to Downs, and Downs alone. He is the type of high-end prospect who will probably only need two more years of college football before he can turn pro.

While I don't know if Downs will end up winning the College Football Playoff at either Georgia or Ohio State, he will have a much better chance of that in the next two years than staying put at Alabama. His dream is to play in the NFL, so he better go to where he thinks he will be developed the best. Georgia has elite coaches on defense, especially in the back-end of it. Ohio State also employs Jim Knowles.

Ultimately, I think Downs needs to ask himself who he aligns more with philosophically, Smart or Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. Smart favors his side of the ball, and is a former defensive back coaching at his alma mater. Day is a former quarterback who played for Chip Kelly in New Hampshire. There is nothing wrong with that, but things are a bit more stable in Athens than in Columbus now.

The ball is in Georgia's court to land Downs, but Ohio State is doing everything in its power to get him.