The big storyline from No. 1 Ohio State’s Week 1 win over now-No. 3 Texas was QB Arch Manning’s struggles. There’s no denying that the young quarterback didn’t live up to the hype heading into the 2025 season, but longtime analyst Rich Eisen is more focused on the performance of Ohio State.
He believes Buckeye’s defense deserves credit for containing the star quarterback, highlighting one Ohio State player he thinks could be in Heisman conversations by the end of the year.
Rich Eisen Spotlights Potential Ohio State Heisman Candidate After Arch Manning Struggles
Heading into 2025, Manning had already been hailed as college football’s next great quarterback despite having only two career starts. However, he struggled in his season debut against Ohio State, throwing for just 170 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Much has been made of Manning’s performance, with plenty of criticism aimed at the young quarterback. However, Eisen is taking a different approach, highlighting Ohio State’s dominant defense against the Longhorns.
One player who specifically caught his eye was Buckeyes star safety Caleb Downs. Eisen believes Downs could be a top-five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and even sees him as a potential Heisman contender by the end of the season.
“There’s other people that are top-five worthy draft choices that were on the field, and particularly in Scarlett and Grey,” Esien said. “That kid Caleb Downs can play football. Oh my god, can he play football? And maybe by the end of the day, as well, for that draft, prior to which, maybe Caleb Downs is going to get some Heisman votes.”
Eisen isn’t wrong about Downs. He already had significant draft buzz coming into the season, going No. 4 overall in the latest PFSN mock draft. He was outstanding against Texas, consistently impacting the game and making the game-winning tackle for Ohio State.
THE BUCKEYE DEFENSE SHUTS DOWN TEXAS ON 4TH DOWN… AGAIN 😱@ohioStatefb pic.twitter.com/W9ziVhZYc5
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2025
Winning the Heisman Trophy as a defensive player is incredibly difficult, with only two players ever accomplishing it. Michigan’s Charles Woodson did it in 1997, and Travis Hunter did it last season, though he also played wide receiver for Colorado.
While it’s a long shot for Downs to actually win the award, if he continues performing as the best player on one of the nation’s top teams, there’s no doubt he could be a finalist, similar to EDGE Chase Young, who finished fourth in Heisman voting for Ohio State in 2019.
Regardless, Downs is unquestionably one of the best players in the country. As Eisen noted, that was clear in Ohio State’s game against Texas, where the safety played a major role in limiting Manning’s effectiveness.
Downs will next get a chance to put up another stellar performance on Saturday, September 6, when the Buckeyes host FCS Grambling State.
