Marcus Hooker redshirted as a true freshman then served as a third-string backup his second year on campus.
But in the season-opening game of his redshirt sophomore season, he earned his first career start. For the first defensive snap of the 2020 season, Hooker lined up in Ohio State's defensive backfield alongside Shaun Wade, Sevyn Banks and Marcus Williamson to take on quarterback Adrian Martinez and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Hooker's start means fellow third-year safety Josh Proctor comes off the bench for Ohio State. Safeties coach Matt Barnes referred to him a few weeks ago as someone who might be more comfortable and effective playing “closer to the box” with Hooker as the deep safety.
Following his older brother Malik in 2016, Hooker becomes the second Buckeye in his family to start at safety as a redshirt sophomore. Malik, of course, set a ridiculously high bar by securing seven interceptions and becoming a first-team All-American before going to the NFL as a first-round draft pick after one year as a starter at Ohio State.
The ball-hawking style that suits Marcus has drawn some comparisons to his older brother, including from Barnes.
“We all have different mindsets playing safety, and I feel like mine is just getting the ball,” Hooker said a couple of weeks ago. “We want to have huge turnovers and things like that. I know I can tackle and do things of that nature, but I'm trying to be more focused on trying to get the ball any way that I can and put our team in a better position to score on offense.”
Hooker wasn't on the field for any defensive snaps in 2018 and played only in late-game duty for 82 defensive snaps in 2019. This fall, he'll be an integral part of the Buckeyes' defense.
