The Hardware went to Columbus, but the Best DB was in Arlington
If you watched the Cotton Bowl last night, you saw two things clearly. You saw a heavyweight fight between Miami and Ohio State, and you saw a crime scene investigation into the robbery of the 2025 Jim Thorpe Award.
Let’s get the pleasantries out of the way: Caleb Downs is a phenomenal football player. The Ohio State safety is technically sound, rangy, and deserves a long career on Sundays. But when the voters handed him the hardware earlier this month, they made the safe choice, not the right one.
Last night in Arlington, Keionte Scott didn't just play; he put on a clinic that should have every voter sending a written apology to Coral Gables.
For 60 minutes, Scott was the best player on a field littered with future NFL talent. We’ve known all year what he brings to the table—he is the modern prototype for the "Star" position. He isn't just a cornerback; he’s a defensive weapon. While traditional voters were looking at interception totals or name recognition, Scott was busy erasing slot receivers, blowing up screen games, and living in the offensive backfield.
Last night was the exclamation point. You saw the difference in speed and violence. When Ohio State tried to test the perimeter, Scott was there to set the edge with the physicality of a linebacker. When they tried to get cute with the screen game, he navigated through traffic like he had the play sheet in his pocket.
The stat sheet will show the tackles and the disruption, but the tape tells the real story. There was a sequence in the second half that defined the difference between a "good cover guy" and a Thorpe winner. Scott aligned in the slot, blitzed off the edge, forced a hurry, and on the very next play, dropped into zone coverage to break up a pass thirty yards downfield. That is versatility that you cannot teach. That is the impact that changes ball games.
Downs manages games; Scott wrecks them.
We saw flashes of this all season—especially that dominant performance against Texas A&M in the playoff opener—but doing it head-to-head against the award winner adds a layer of vindication. While the broadcast crew spent the pre-game hyping up the Buckeyes' secondary, it was #0 in orange and green who was flying around the field, playing with a chip on his shoulder the size of the Space Coast.
The Thorpe Award is supposed to go to the best defensive back in college football. Not the safest pick. Not the one on the number-one ranked defense. The best.
Keionte Scott proved last night that the voters didn’t watch enough tape. He proved that the "Nickel" corner is the most dangerous position in modern football when played by an elite athlete. And he proved that while the trophy might be sitting on a mantle in Ohio, the title of "Best DB in America" belongs to him.
The voters got it wrong. But after last night, the NFL scouts won't make the same mistake.
