OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 2025--
As the leader of the No. 1 defense in the country, Ohio State University’s Caleb Downs has been named the 2025 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Winner. The announcement was made live tonight on The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN. Downs received the 2025 honor – given to the top defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character – on behalf of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, Jim Thorpe Association and presenting sponsor Paycom.
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Paycom Jim Thorpe Award winner announced
Hoschton, Georgia, native Caleb Downs is the third Thorpe Award recipient from the Buckeyes, joining winners Malcolm Jenkins (2008) and Antoine Winfield (1998). Reigning unanimous All-American, Downs has been regarded as a leader on the defense from the moment he arrived at Ohio State in January 2024 and is considered a major contributor to the Buckeyes’ 2024 national championship run.
Anchoring one of the nation’s toughest secondaries, ranking first nationally in total defense, scoring defense and passing yardage, Downs is second among Buckeyes with 40 solo tackles, and his season totals also include five tackles for loss, a quarterback sack, two interceptions, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry, showcasing his range, physicality and reliability on the back end. “I have spent 11 years coaching in the NFL and Caleb Downs is the best football player – pro or college – that I have ever coached,” said Tim Walton, Ohio State co-defensive coordinator/secondary coach. “He is first-class and exceptional in all areas he touches. He is intelligent, thoughtful, honest, trustworthy and dependable. As a player, he is tenacious, always well-prepared, tough, physical, fast and productive. On behalf of the Ohio State football coaching staff and program, I want to thank the Paycom Thorpe Award for honoring Caleb with this award.”
In addition to winning the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, Downs, an Ohio State Scholar-Athlete, was also named winner of the 2025 Lott IMPACT Trophy, awarded for on-field performance, academic standing, community contributions, leadership and overall character. He was also named a finalist for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award. An Associated Press All-Big Ten honoree and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Downs was also named the Big Ten’s Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year and, for the second consecutive season, the Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year. Selected as team captain by his peers, Downs was also nominated as Ohio State’s candidate for the 2025-26 Jackie Robinson Community & Impact Award, an honor created to recognize Big Ten student-athletes who strive to have a positive impact within their community in addition to excellence in competition.
Downs commanded the voting, securing an impressive 67% of the first-place votes nationwide. This outcome was determined by the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award National Selection Committee, comprising the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in-house award committee, past recipients of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, members of the National College Football Awards Association, and prominent sports writers and college football journalists from across the country.
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Paycom will honor Downs at the 40th Annual Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet as well as the 4th Annual Aeneas Williams Award winner, Jarod Washington from South Carolina State University, in Oklahoma City on Feb. 10, 2026.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football’s most prestigious awards. The NCFAA’s 25 awards have honored more than 950 recipients since 1935. Visit NCFAA.org for more information.
Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Important Dates
Tue., Feb. 10, 2026: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet Honoring Caleb Downs from Ohio State University in Oklahoma City
The official presentation of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award takes place in Oklahoma City, following The Home Depot College Football Awards. The current winner and all former winners are invited each year to celebrate. Over 600 supporters attend the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet each year, including many celebrities and dignitaries.
For more information on the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award, past award recipients or banquet ticketing and advertising information, please visit
www.oklahomasportshalloffame.org
.
The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is awarded to the best defensive back in college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. The award was established in 1986 and is named after history’s greatest all-around athlete, Jim Thorpe. Thorpe excelled as a running back, passer and kicker on the offensive side of the ball, but also stood out as a defensive back. In addition to his legendary performance on the football field, Thorpe played professional baseball and won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon. The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award is universally accepted as one of the nation’s top collegiate sports honors.
Paycom Software, Inc
. (NYSE: PAYC) (“Paycom”), a leading provider of comprehensive, cloud-based human capital management software, and the Jim Thorpe Museum and Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame jointly announced in May 2017 an exclusive sponsorship of the Jim Thorpe Award. As a result, the accolade has been named the “Paycom Jim Thorpe Award.”
The Aeneas Williams Award presented by the Chickasaw Nation is awarded to the best defensive back in Historically Black Colleges and Universities Division I college football based on performance on the field, athletic ability and character. This award will serve as the first of its kind in HBCU history in honor of its namesake, Southern University walk-on and Pro Football Hall of Famer Aeneas Williams. The contribution of HBCUs to the landscape of college football and the NFL has forever left an impact on the game. HBCUs hold an incredibly rich athletic tradition, tied to the game of football, that continues to exemplify the culture of these schools for over the past century.
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Olivia James
Marketing Communications & Event Director
Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame
ojames@oksportshof.org
Source: Paycom Software, Inc.
