Caleb Downs, a top NFL safety prospect, comes from a family with strong football ties, including his brother Josh Downs and father Gary Downs. His family's athletic background has significantly influenced his success.
Key points
Caleb Downs is a top NFL safety prospect.
He has a brother, Josh Downs, who is also in football.
His father, Gary Downs, has NFL connections.
Caleb Downs is from Georgia.
He credits his family's athletic background for his success.
Caleb Downs enters the NFL as one of the best safety prospects in recent years, and he credits much of his success to his family.
The former Ohio State star was on the NFL's radar for his entire college career, as his play for both the Buckeyes and for Alabama was impressive. In fact, Downs comes from a family of athletes, especially football players, which helped give him a leg up.
"(My family is) probably the biggest contributor to that," Downs said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "My dad was a coach, played, my brother played, my uncle played, my other uncle was a coach. Just being around the game has allowed me to grow a lot with my knowledge of football and how I see the game."
As Downs aims to become the next great NFL safety, get to know his entire family.
Josh Downs is Caleb's older brother and an NFL receiver who plays for the Indianapolis Colts. As the older of the two, Josh has set an example for Caleb as they both pursued careers in football.
However, while Josh was able to make the NFL before Caleb, and despite the Downs family being full of football players, Josh believes Caleb is above the rest.
Caleb and Josh Downs co-host the "Downs 2 Business" podcast together, where they discuss everything from football to family. One item they discussed was whether they wanted to play with or against each other in the NFL, and both of them agreed they would love to be teammates.
"I would love to play with Josh," Caleb said. "I've never played with Josh in anything, so that would be a new situation for me,"
Is Caleb Downs related to Dre Bly?
Dre Bly is Caleb Downs' uncle, giving the young defensive back a strong NFL role model in his own family.
Dre Bly was an NFL cornerback for over a decade known for his ball-hawking abilities. Bly played for the St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, totaling 43 career interceptions and five career pick-sixes.
Bly also returned kicks at times during his career, but he mainly focused on his duties as a defensive back.
Bly got into coaching after he retired, as he spent four seasons as the defensive backs coach for his alma mater, North Carolina. Recently, Bly was the cornerbacks coach for the Lions, but joined Aaron Glenn with the New York Jets as an assistant since 2025.
Gary Downs was a running back in the NFL in the 1990s, but mainly served as depth for the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons. In college, Gary attended NC State from 1990-93, and totaled 380 carries for 1,642 yards and 23 touchdowns over 40 games.
After retiring, Downs got into coaching, as he worked for the Riverside Military Academy, Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, and East Tennessee State. As a dad, Gary was integral in the athletic development for all three of his kids.
Caleb's mother, Tanya Shorter Downs, was an athlete as a kid as well, as she played soccer through high school. Tanya currently teaches high school calculus, which could help explain why Caleb is so smart on the field.
Tanya described a moment when Caleb was a little kid and would play with football figures for hours, imagining a game.
"He had plays on offense and defense," Tanya said, via the Columbus Dispatch. "He was like the coach and knew exactly where each player was supposed to be and why they were supposed to be there."
Kameron Downs is the oldest of the three Downs siblings, and she was an athlete herself as a soccer player at Kennesaw State. Kameron played 65 games across four seasons, totaling five goals and three assists as a forward.
Kameron graduated from Kennesaw State in 2021, and she now attends Wake Forrest medical school.
As the older sibling, Kameron had a front-row seat to Caleb's football growth, but she never thought he'd become a star player.
"When I was a kid," Kameron said, via Michael Cohen of Fox Sports, "I was like, 'I wonder when he's going to be average compared to everyone,' kind of like a hater sibling. And now I'm like, 'Oh...' It just never happened."
Caleb Downs was born and raised in Hoschton, Georgia, where he was a three-sport athlete at Mill Creek High School. According to 247 Sports, he was the No. 8 overall high school recruit in the class of 2023, and the top player out of Georgia.
