When Ohio State signed Malik Hooker as part of its 2014 recruiting class, there was some risk involved. Hooker had an incredible amount of upside based on his athleticism — his high school basketball highlights have quite a few views on YouTube — but he also had just two years of football experience.
It was truly one of those boom or bust scenarios.
Hooker was the No. 348-ranked player in the country in that 2014 class, according to 247Sports’ composite ratings, and the 32nd-ranked athlete. Ohio State projected him as a safety all along, and that’s where he ended up when he got to Columbus, but Hooker redshirted during his first season with the Buckeyes — for somewhat obvious reasons — as he adjusted to everyday life as a football player. With Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell now out of the program and in the NFL, however, he’s getting a shot at playing time perhaps earlier than originally expected.
“It’s definitely a great thing,” Hooker said Thursday after Ohio State’s fifth practice of fall camp. “It was a waiting process because I only played football for two years and I was just trying to catch on to the tempo with everybody else. The players here, they’ve played football for a long time so I was just trying to catch up with them.
“Now that it’s finally here it’s just the best feeling in the world to know that I’m prepared for the moment.”
As things stand right now, Hooker is in line to be one of the starting safeties for Ohio State this fall. He repped with the first team throughout spring practice and through the first week of camp, he’s done the same. When you consider who Hooker is competing against, though, it’s somewhat surprising he’s in this position.
There appear to be four players battling for the two starting safety spots, including Hooker. The other three are Cam Burrows, Damon Webb and Erick Smith. All three of those guys were top-100 prospects nationally in their respective recruiting classes. As mentioned above, Hooker was not.
Burrows was the 61st-ranked overall player in the 2013 class and the No. 2-rated player in the state of Ohio. In the 2014 group, both Webb (No. 35 overall) and Smith (No. 66) were ranked significantly higher than Hooker.
Now, recruiting rankings are obviously subjective and an inexact science, but for the most part, prospects ranked inside the top 100 are often thought to be players who make an early impact. Hooker was seen more as a project or a developmental-type guy.
Despite that, however, Hooker seems to be all but solidified as a starting safety while the others are still battling for a spot. Buckeyes safeties coach Greg Schiano said Thursday the competition is still “wide open” and no starters have been named, but also noted Burrows and Smith may be “a notch below” Hooker and Webb.
“I think Malik Hooker has shown that he has the ability to be a really good player,” Schiano said. “Now, we need to do it consistently.”
For the majority of spring practice, when Ohio State veterans were asked which of the young defensive players turned a few heads, a common response was Hooker. In the spring game, he certainly backed that up. Hooker recorded two interceptions and took one back 82 yards for a touchdown.
“I would say I’m pretty much a ballhawk, honestly,” Hooker said. “I just like running around and pretty much trying to make plays for the other players out there. I just give my best effort every down.”
It’s that playmaking ability that has Hooker in the driver’s seat for one of those open safety spots. Even if he wasn’t supposed to be here just yet.
