Latest news with #Downs
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFF explains why Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is best defender in college football
To win trophies and have confetti rain down, you have to have the players to do it. And while the Buckeyes lost a whopping 14 players to the 2025 NFL draft, there's still plenty of talent left to wear the venerable Scarlet and Gray. In fact, most believe the Buckeyes have the two best players in college football with Jeremiah Smith on offense and Caleb Downs on defense. Pro Football Focus is a believer, too, because it ranked Smith and Downs as the two best players in its '2025 PFF College 50.' It's one thing to just say that, it's another to explain it to the masses and PFF did just that recently for both players. We've already heard why Smith is the best overall player, so what about Downs? "At No. 2, is Caleb Downs, a safety from Ohio State -- the best defensive player in college football," PFF said. "Over those last two years, he's the most valuable safety in college football according to our wins above average metric. (Has a) 91.7 PFF grade -- second among all safeties over the last two years -- 91.2 coverage grade, third among all safeties over the last two years. Can thrive in the free safety slot, corner, or in the box." You'll get no argument from us. Downs was so important to the defense last year that they moved him down in the box almost like a linebacker and just let him roam the field to make plays. He was a Freshman All-American at Alabama and continued to perform at Ohio State, being named a unanimous All-American. His upcoming junior year should be even more special. Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.
Time Magazine
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Magazine
2025 Emmy Nominations: 5 Egregious Snubs and 5 Fun Surprises
Another Emmy season is off to the races as of Tuesday morning, with what turned out to be a fairly predictable list of 2025 nominees that heavily favors returning series. The Television Academy loves The White Lotus, Severance, Abbott Elementary, Hacks, The Bear? Tell me something I don't know. But mixed in among the Pedro Pascals and Jean Smarts and the Martin Shorts we always knew were going to get nominated are some truly wonderful surprises—along with some truly infuriating, if you're the type to get worked up about such trivialities, exclusions. Below are five of each. 5 Egregious Exclusions The Pitt was one of this morning's big winners, as was widely predicted, scoring 13 nominations including drama series, lead actor (Noah Wyle), and supporting actress (Katherine LaNasa)—all richly deserved. Conspicuously absent from the list, however, was Taylor Dearden's breakout performance as Dr. Mel King, a sensitive and apparently neurodivergent young resident who cares for an autistic sister. As Sarah Kurchak wrote for TIME in an appreciation of the character and Dearden's portrayal of her: 'What makes Dr. King such a refreshing change from the old autistic-coded tropes, though, are the range of characteristics she embodies, how they're integrated into her character, and how she's incorporated into the show.' Lyonne earned a nomination for her lead performance in this delightful Columbo homage's first season, on top of three nods for previous roles, so it's not like the Academy has some vendetta against her. Which makes it all the more confusing why she didn't earn any recognition for Poker Face's delightful second season, even if the category is particularly stacked this year. As its only consistent cast member, Lyonne is basically the whole show. Few actors have the personality to pull that off. Nor is she just coasting on charisma. This season's recently concluded arc also required her to bear the emotional weight of the many murders she's solved, in a reckoning that allowed viewers to glimpse a darker, more vulnerable Charlie Cale. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are the heart of Hacks; no one's debating that, and Einbinder's nomination in particular (always as a supporting actress, in a bit of perhaps-justifiable category fraud) makes me hopeful she'll take home her first trophy for a performance that gets better every season (Smart already has three lead actress wins). But the show has also increasingly thrived on the odd-couple chemistry between co-creator Downs, who plays Hollywood's gentlest manager, and breakout star Stalter as his assistant turned partner. Especially since Hacks has been an Emmy darling for its entire run—and both Downs and Stalter had buzz for their superior work in Season 4—it's disappointing to see them excluded. Petticrew gave a breathtaking, multifaceted performance as real-life IRA militant Dolours Price, in a role that required her to do everything from hold up a bank in a nun costume to, in one harrowing episode, endure force feeding during a prison hunger strike. She absolutely deserved a nomination in a category where marquee names seemed to outweigh transcendent work (Cate Blanchett and Meghann Fahy were fine in mediocre shows; if Black Mirror weren't an anthology, Rashida Jones' role would've been classified as a guest appearance). But my frustration at her absence is also annoyance that FX's raw and timely adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe's nonfiction book on the Troubles was overlooked in favor of stuff like Monsters: The Lyle and Eric Menendez Story and The Penguin. Speaking of The Penguin, make this make sense: Colin Farrell earns a lead actor nod for growling under pounds of latex. Deirdre O'Connell gets a supporting actress mention for doing a broad imitation of Nancy Marchand's performance as Tony's nightmare mother on The Sopranos. (Both O'Connell and Farrell are great performers! But this is some of their least notable work.) The Penguin, simplistic as it is, earns more nominations (24) than any other show except Severance (27). Yet somehow there's no room for Rhenzy Feliz, who had to play opposite a protagonist whose face was buried in makeup and still managed—alongside duly deserving lead actress nominee Cristin Milioti—to give the series an emotional center? 5 Wonderful Surprises Aduba elevates everything she appears on, and in the case of Shondaland's flawed but fun White House whodunit, her detective heroine is as crucial to the show's appeal as Lyonne's is to Poker Face. In lesser hands, an eccentric-yet-brilliant birder like Cordelia Cupp would've felt cartoonish. But Aduba brought out the human vulnerability behind the confident veneer, giving us a complex protagonist we could really root for to solve an otherwise forgettable murder case. The creator as well as the star of this vicious, often wickedly funny Irish crime dramedy, Horgan deserves many accolades for delivering a second season that (mostly) worked on the heels of what felt like a perfectly contained limited series. In front of the camera, she's equally great as the eldest—and surrogate mother—of five raucous, haunted, profoundly trauma-bonded adult sisters. Horgan's Eva Garvey is funny and nurturing and grounded but also quite lonely and bitter, a character whose love and bile hold Bad Sisters together. The Emmys sure do love Severance. But in Season 1, only the big-name actors—Adam Scott, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette, and Christopher Walken—got nominations, leaving some of the show's best performances unrecognized. This time around, pundits rightly predicted that their breakout co-stars Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman would finally get some acknowledgment. What they didn't foresee was that they'd be joined by Zach Cherry, whose expanded dual role as innie and outie versions of Dylan yielded some of the second season's most wrenching moments. Praise Kier! I enjoyed Tina Fey's update of the '80s Alan Alda rom-com, but I would hesitate to call it her best work, so I can't really fault the Academy for largely ignoring it. Happily, they did choose the right performance to nominate in the endlessly versatile Domingo's supporting role as an accomplished architect whose platonic-soulmate relationship with Fey's character and rocky marriage to a flamboyant Italian man give him far more depth than the typical gay best friend. Look, do I wish Somebody Somewhere had been nominated in every single category it was eligible for? Do its dynamic star, Bridget Everett, and the magnetic presence that is Murray Hill deserve a nod just as much as Hiller? Should this show, canceled after three seasons, ideally continue for the rest of its characters' natural lives? Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Still: Somebody Somewhere has never moved the Emmy needle in the past, so it's a thrill to see it get some recognition for its third and final season. And it's particularly lovely that the focus of that recognition is Hiller, who was so excellent in a role that doubled as the show's warm, steady, sneakily optimistic, heart.
Newsweek
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Caleb Downs Reveals Ohio State's Championship Key Without Hesitation
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Ohio State Buckeyes were able to make an impressive run to a national championship win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last season. It was a run that almost didn't happen. In the final game of the 2024 regular season, Ohio State came up short at home against the Michigan Wolverines. Losing that game caused a lot of bad things to happen in Columbus. Right after the loss, the fan base turned on the Buckeyes. Fans were calling for Ryan Day to be fired and they had a lot of nasty things to say about coaches and players alike. Despite that reaction, Ohio State was able to find a way to stay together and prepare for the College Football Playoff. Caleb Downs #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes speaks to the media during the Ohio State Buckeyes media day at the Georgia World Congress Center prior to the 2025 CFP National Championship between the Ohio... Caleb Downs #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes speaks to the media during the Ohio State Buckeyes media day at the Georgia World Congress Center prior to the 2025 CFP National Championship between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish on January 18, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. More Photo byOn their way to the national championship, the Buckeyes defeated Tennessee, Oregon, and Texas. They showed no signs of a hangover from losing to Michigan. Read more: Paul Finebaum Doesn't Hold Back About Clemson, Cade Klubnik Caleb Downs was a key piece for Ohio State. He is arguably the best safety in the nation and many believe that he will be a top-10 pick when he heads off to the NFL Draft. Heading into the upcoming 2025 campaign, the Buckeyes will be looking to repeat as champions. They lost a lot of key players to the NFL, which has made many members of the media write them off. Downs isn't ready to give in to those projections. Ahead of the 2025 season, Downs spoke out and revealed the team's key to championship contention without hesitation. "The importance of leadership, the importance of having people that can get everybody on the same page and get a singular focus to allow yourself to have the best chance to win," Downs said. Ohio State's leadership starts at the top. Day is one of the best head coaches in the nation and he instills confidence and leadership into his players. Downs will be one of the key leaders on this year's version of the Buckeyes. Read more: Nick Saban Could Leave 'College GameDay' for Coaching Job: Report Last season in his first year with Ohio State after transferring from Alabama, Downs racked up 81 tackles, 0.5 sacks, two interceptions, and six defended passes. He'll be asked to handle an even larger workload this season. While there are a lot of changes and losses to overcome from a roster perspective, the Buckeyes still have a few key pieces of their core left over. They also still have Day leading the way. They might enter the start of the season as an underdog, but they're the defending champions for a reason. Ohio State should not be counted out and Downs will do everything he can to lead the team back to a second straight national championship run. For more Ohio State Buckeyes and college football news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
NZ Herald
14-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Small businesses don't have the cash for Investment Boost – advisory group chair David Downs
Announced at the Budget in May, the policy enables businesses to deduct 20% of a new asset's value from that year's taxable income, on top of normal depreciation. Downs said reaction from the group about the new policy was generally positive but there were some concerns about implementation of it. The minimum value of new investments is $1000 and many believed the policy was out of reach for the majority of small businesses because of the lack of funds they have available. Downs was hopeful the policy could be tweaked to widen access to the scheme, perhaps through incentives for debt-funded purchases by small businesses. 'That's longer-term, big-picture stuff. We know that other countries around the world have schemes that allow small businesses to get loans and not have to put their houses on the line. 'The chances of that happening in New Zealand in the near future are pretty slim. We'd have to go through quite a lot of thinking and and policy work, but that's the direction that I think the group would like to go eventually.' Last year, the group was influential in informing the minister on what changes needed to be made to invoicing within government departments and agencies. It led to a crackdown on late payments, the moving of all government departments to electronic invoicing or e-invoicing and made it mandatory to pay invoices within 10 business days. Downs said the move had worked and was flowing through really well. 'One of the pieces of advice that we gave the minister and the Ministry [of] Business, Innovation and Employment was that Government should require, particularly for their major suppliers, that they pass on the same payment terms that they're getting,' he said. 'So if the Government's going to pay large suppliers within 10 days ... those large suppliers should pass on those things in any sub-contract. They picked up on that, which has been really good.' Another area of advocacy by the group has been around digitisation and the adoption of tools, particularly artificial intelligence. Downs said that the group was quite animated about how the Government could ensure businesses had access to education and tools to boost productivity. He said the Government had already started a programme through the Regional Business Partner Network to train them on artificial intelligence, so that knowledge could then be passed on to small businesses. Change of minister The sector has already seen a change in minister, with Bayly stood down following an 'inappropriate' incident with a staffer. The new minister in charge is Chris Penk, who is also the Minister for Building and Construction, Land Information, Manufacturing (also formerly Bayly's role) and Veterans. Downs said that the news at the time was surprising but acknowledged the enthusiasm Bayly had for the portfolio while he was in it. 'There was a bit of a fear that we were going to lose some of that sponsorship and senior level support, but it actually hasn't transpired. Chris has really grasped it.' Downs said Penk was very keen to get himself up to speed with a lot of the businesses involved in the group to help understand their reality. 'We have to be realistic. The Small Business Advisory Group is not going to be able to change the massive direction of government policy, but in the areas where we think that change needs to happen, the Government's definitely receptive to our input. 'On one hand, we want to think about the big-picture, long-term strategy and policy direction. On the other hand, we need quick wins and to actually boost progress. I think we're starting to see a bit of both, which is good.' Green shoots but where? Downs said that at the group's recent meeting, they checked in to see how members were feeling about the economy, and the response was 'pretty negative'. He said that while certain businesses in industries like agriculture were doing well, they were the exception. 'I'd have to say in general it was pretty negative, we're finding it tough, very tough. The vast majority, particularly those in retail or hospitality or small services businesses, are just doing it really hard. 'The recession has been harder and longer than anyone anticipated. A year ago we were going 'survive till 2025′ and we're more than halfway through 2025 and there's no let-up, so that was a bit of a sombre note." Downs said it was good to have the minister and officials from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment in attendance to gauge the mood of the room. However, Downs said that many members were confident about the future. 'Everyone's saying it's tough at the moment, but the interest rates have come down and green shoots are appearing. 'My belief is if you're a small business owner, you're automatically an optimistic person. If you're still in business now after a pretty tough couple of years, then you're actually probably quite good at what you do.' As for what's next, Downs said the group has set up a number of workstreams and subgroups to relook at the Government's 'Going for Growth' strategy and how its five pillars relate to small business. Downs said he was impressed by how much the group had been able to achieve already, but it's also the community that has been formed that has been impressive. 'The meeting we had the other day was fantastic. It's hard when you don't live in the same regions. I travel around a lot as a few people do, but most of them stay in their regions and so don't get to see each other. 'Now we've been together four or five times and people are really learning more about each other's business and trusting and understanding the nuances of different regions. So I think the group is coalescing pretty well as well.' Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.
Fox Sports
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Caleb Downs: Inside the Mind of the Best Defender in College Football
The memory that Caleb Downs holds dearest from the aftermath of Ohio State's national championship victory over Notre Dame, which perched the Buckeyes atop the sport for the first time in a decade, had nothing to do with the team's reception upon returning to campus nor the celebration held at Ohio Stadium before a crowd of roughly 30,000 fans. Instead, what Downs remembers most were the initial few hours of reflection at the hotel in Atlanta, before he and his teammates went to sleep as national champions for the first time. It was during that window, Downs told me earlier this week, that players and coaches congregated in each other's hotel rooms to reminisce about the season that was, the unforgettable journey they'd just completed through a freshly expanded College Football Playoff. Four victories in the span of a month, all of them by double digits, to salvage quite emphatically a campaign that threatened to go awry. There was the defiant destruction of ninth-seeded Tennessee on a frigid night in Columbus when visiting fans infiltrated nearly half the stadium. There was the jaw-dropping demolition of top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl to avenge the Buckeyes' midseason defeat. There was the scintillating scoop and score from edge rusher Jack Sawyer, the first verbal commit Day earned as head coach five years prior, to upend Texas in the semifinals. There was the 56-yard heave to star wideout Jeremiah Smith in the waning minutes of the national championship game that propelled Ohio State to victory and launched the freshman sensation onto the cover of EA Sports College Football 26. Still, the moment worthy of even more team-wide introspection, the one that has already been memorialized and will be discussed for decades to come, took place long before the postseason began. It was Tuesday, Dec. 3, three days after the Buckeyes capitulated against Michigan despite having entered "The Game" favored by nearly three touchdowns. That's when Ohio State held a closed-door meeting in which Day and the players unleashed emotions big and small, raw and red-faced, and redirected the team's trajectory toward an eventual national championship. "It was a huge change of events," Downs said, "just with the growth that had to happen, the realizations that we had to come to. It showed the importance of leadership, I would say, on our team. We had a lot of veteran guys that put a lot into it and somehow got everybody on the same page for the last four games. That's something that you can't really measure. It was one of the determining factors for our season, and it led us to the victory that we had." At the time of that meeting, Downs was most of the way through an exhilarating debut season for the Buckeyes after transferring from Alabama following the shocking retirement of legendary head coach Nick Saban earlier that same year. He would soon be named Defensive Back of the Year in the Big Ten and earn unanimous first-team All-American honors to reflect his status as the best safety in college football. Scouts and talent evaluators began speculating if Downs, who won't turn 21 until December, could become the rare safety to be selected in the top five of the 2026 NFL Draft, the first year he's eligible to declare. Downs even joined Smith, Day and a cadre of other college football luminaries for the Deluxe Edition of EA Sports "College Football 26," which was released earlier this week, an achievement he described as "an honor because a lot of safeties probably wouldn't get the same type of blessing." But one role that Downs wasn't asked to fill last season, be it during the Buckeyes' emotional team meeting or their eventual march to the national championship, was that of a primary vocal leader — regardless of how vital his on-field contributions were. Neither he nor Smith, another first-team All-American and the Wide Receiver of the Year in the Big Ten, were expected to lead from the front. Their play did the talking instead. The backbone of Ohio State's high-priced roster came from Day's lauded 2021 recruiting haul that finished second in the national rankings to Alabama by a silver margin of 0.02 in average prospect rating, according to the 247Sports Composite. Veterans like Sawyer, fellow edge rusher JT Tuimoloau, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, tailback TreVeyon Henderson, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and cornerback Denzel Burke all bypassed the NFL Draft for one more shot at Michigan, one more shot at winning a Big Ten title, one more shot at a national championship — though the latter would prove to be the only item they checked off the list. Alongside Day, whose job security was loudly questioned by factions of media members and Ohio State fans alike, they had suffered through several trophy-less years laced with enough pain to imbue on the underclassmen, Downs included. A school-record-tying 14 Buckeyes went on to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, most of whom came from the aforementioned recruiting class and more than half of whom played with Downs on defense. The departures of Williams (No. 28 overall), Tuimoloau (No. 45 overall), linebacker Cody Simon (No. 115 overall), safety Lathan Ransom (No. 122 overall), Sawyer (No. 123 overall), defensive tackle Ty Hamilton (No. 148 overall), defensive back Jordan Hancock (No. 170 overall), and Burke (No. 174 overall) means Ohio State will enter the fall campaign with only three returning starters from its unit that won the national championship: Downs, linebacker Sonny Styles and cornerback Davison Igbinosun. Significant chunks of winter and spring workouts were dedicated to identifying some of the team's new leaders — Downs included — and encouraging underclassmen to step forward without fear. "Putting a lot of focus on putting our younger guys to feel experienced and feel that they're ready to play," Downs said. "And that's a lot of it, just playing with confidence and trying to get people to feel like they are ready to play. That's a huge thing. Just trying to encourage and be a leader, make sure everybody is preparing the way that they need to prepare. And when we lift our heads up, we'll see where we're at." Where they're at will depend, at least in part, on how smoothly new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia adjusts to his first college coaching job since he was a graduate assistant at Syracuse more than 20 years ago. Patricia, who has spent the majority of his career in the NFL, last served as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, though fans are more familiar with his highly successful stint as defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots (2012-17) under former coach Bill Belichick — a run that included three Super Bowl rings — and his subsequently disastrous tenure as head coach of the Detroit Lions (2018-20) that was peppered with unflattering media coverage. Patricia is tasked with maintaining the lofty standard established by former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who accepted the same job at Penn State shortly after the national championship game. Knowles is regarded by many as the best coordinator in the country and elevated Ohio State from 59th in total defense (372.6 yards per game) and 38th in scoring defense (22.8 points per game) in 2021, the year before he arrived, to No. 1 in total defense (254.6 yards per game) and No. 1 in scoring defense (12.9 points per game) last season. The Nittany Lions reportedly lured him to Happy Valley with the promise of more autonomy and an annual salary of $3.1 million that makes him the highest-paid coordinator in the sport. But Patricia's cupboard at Ohio State isn't exactly bare. He still has Downs, the best defensive player in college football, and that should take the Buckeyes quite a long way. "I feel like we have the same caliber of leadership," Downs said, "and we've had a lot of guys step up to put themselves in a position to be able to lead and be able to hold people accountable. I feel confident in who we have and what we're doing." Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
