"The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their college careers, as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent."
It took Marcus Hooker less than 24 hours to commit to Ohio State after earning his offer.
The younger brother of former Buckeye All-American and 2017 first-round draft pick Malik Hooker, Marcus had one destination in mind for college years: Columbus, Ohio. He pulled the trigger as soon as he knew that was possible.
Hooker is one of just three three-star players in Ohio State's 2018 class and is the lowest rated of the bunch, but with his ball-hawking former three-star brother fresh in the memory of Buckeye fans, it's hard to imagine many in Columbus are too concerned with his national rating or the number of stars to his name.
The Hooker File
- Class: 2018
- Size: 6-foot, 185 pounds
- Pos: DB
- School: New Castle (PA)
- Composite Rating: ★★★
- Composite Rank: 57 (CB)
Like his brother, Hooker has superb athleticism and shows tremendous upside. He's physical and plays with great instincts, especially when the ball is in the air.
"He's a play maker on both sides of the football," New Castle head coach Joe Cowart told Eleven Warriors back in July. "Highly instinctual — and a lot like his brother when the ball is in the air. He's just always around the ball.
"They're different animals, though," he continued. "Their sizes are different. [Marcus] is a little more compact and a little more physical than his brother was. He doesn't do the high-end athletic marvels that his brother did, but he has some of those same athletic traits. Really long arms, huge hands and uncommon feet, quickness and instincts."
Hooker was a four-year starter at New Castle High School in New Castle, Pennsylvania, playing both sides of the ball – as is typical of dominant high school football players. Defensively, Hooker played cornerback and offensively he played a position similar to Ohio State's H-back, where he was used as a hybrid receiver and running back.
"He's our leader," Cowart said. "Certainly a fantastic football player. A really polished football player. He had a great playoff run for us. We really piggybacked off him throughout the course of the season and into the playoffs. We play in a good league — Western Pennsylvania is known for really good football — and he's been, since ninth grade, one of the best players in our league, if not the best."
And that's where the comparisons between Hooker and his brother stop.
When Malik came to Ohio State, he was less polished and less ready to play than Marcus is today. Malik was a tremendous athlete with a ton of upside if he could be developed. Marcus has similar athleticism, but with four years of competitive football under his belt.
"I think Marcus, as far as the football IQ, the dynamic nature and the polish of playing the sport, is going to be more ready to play football upon arrival at Ohio State," Cowart said.
Hooker joins cornerback Sevyn Banks and three top-8 safeties in the 2018 class as the group heads to DBU. Ohio State has seen five defensive backs drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft in four years. That number will likely grow to six in five years if Denzel Ward declares for the draft following the season. This group wants to be next.
“These guys don't swing and miss. To get an offer from Ohio State, they've done their due diligence. They know what they're doing. If they're going to offer a kid, they think he can play for them and have a future playing football for a long time after his time in Columbus."– Joe Cowart
This crop of defensive backs follows what was likely Ohio State's best class of defensive backs ever last year. The Buckeyes signed the nation's top two cornerbacks – Jeffrey Okudah and Shaun Wade – the nation's top JUCO corner in Kendall Sheffield, the nation's No. 8 safety in Isaiah Pryor, and two top-30 cornerbacks in Marcus Williamson and Amir Riep.
The competition for playing time the next few years will be steep, but with a lack of veterans at the position, the Buckeyes will need some young guns to step up sooner than later.
While it's highly unlikely he'll see meaningful first-team reps his first year on campus, Hooker will likely be asked to contribute on special teams, much like Okudah during the 2017 season. At Ohio State, you often have to earn your stripes on special teams before you see action on the first team.
Whether it's next season or a little further in the future, Ohio State is confident Hooker can be a playmaker for them, for more reasons than just his last name.
“These guys don't swing and miss,” Cowart said. “To get an offer from Ohio State, they've done their due diligence. They know what they're doing. If they're going to offer a kid, they think he can play for them and have a future playing football for a long time after his time in Columbus.
“They want to do a true evaluation," he said. "They weren't looking at it as, 'Hey. This is Malik's younger brother.' Let's look at Marcus Hooker and see if he can be a football player for us. That was the decision they came down upon, and we're certainly thrilled about the opportunity for him to go there.”
