Ohio State's best defensive player in 2016 essentially came out of nowhere.
Malik Hooker's rise from backup safety to superstar and potential top-10 pick happened in the blink of an eye. The Buckeyes lost a pair of multi-year starters at the position following the 2015 season in Tyvis Powell and Vonn Bell and replaced them with a player who became a consensus first-team All-American.
But because of Hooker's rapid ascension, Ohio State is once against left with a giant hole to fill in the back end of its defense. The Buckeyes return Damon Webb at one safety spot — Webb is the lone returning starter in the entire secondary — but Hooker's spot is wide open as Ohio State prepares to begin spring practice March 7.
Our spring preview series rolls along today with a look at the safeties, led by position coach Greg Schiano.
Damon Webb, Senior
Webb made the move from corner to safety last season as a junior and started all 13 games for Ohio State alongside Hooker. He registered 57 tackles and one interception on the year.
As the lone member in the Buckeyes' back four who started last year, Webb will not only be the leader of Schiano's meeting room but the secondary as a whole. Ohio State is going to need him to make a leap as the anchor, as Webb was a bit inconsistent throughout the 2016 season.
Erick Smith, Senior
Smith's career to this point has been rather interesting. He showed great promise during his freshman and sophomore seasons before a knee injury cut his second year short. Then, he was jumped by both Hooker and Webb last season for one of the open starting spots as he continued to battle back from injury.
Smith spent most of last season, his junior year, as a special teams contributor and now, as a senior, has a shot to finally grab the starting job many thought he'd have a couple of years ago. There is plenty of young talent behind him, however, so Smith is going to need a big spring if he wants to start for the Buckeyes in the fall.
Jordan Fuller, Sophomore
If there's a favorite to challenge Smith for the other safety spot this season it just might be Jordan Fuller, who played last season as a true freshman on special teams.
The staff clearly thinks highly of Fuller, who is a former high-profile recruit with football bloodlines. His brother, Devin, just finished his rookie season as a wide receiver with the Atlanta Falcons.
At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Fuller has the ideal size and speed for a big-time safety, and he just might be the next big thing for Ohio State in the secondary.
Jahsen Wint, Redshirt Freshman
After a redshirt season last year as a true freshman, Wint will get his first crack at earning some playing time this spring. He was not an early enrollee last year so this will be his first spring practice at Ohio State.
While it doesn't seem likely Wint will challenge for a starting job at safety this year, he can certainly get on the field in some capacity. Urban Meyer often says in order to play for the Buckeyes a player needs to start on special teams so that figures to be Wint's path to playing time. He could be a key cog on Kerry Coombs' special teams units in the fall. Who knows, though, perhaps he does challenge for that starting job. It's fairly wide open.
Isaiah Pryor, Freshman
Though he was highly-recruited, early enrollee Isaiah Pryor seems to sometimes get lost in the shuffle when Ohio State's monster 2017 recruiting class gets discussed. He shouldn't be, though, because, like Fuller, Pryor has the potential to be a superstar for the Buckeyes.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Pryor has the look of a college-made safety already. He's already gone through a winter under Mickey Marotti and since he's on campus in time for spring practice he'll be well-prepared to play in the fall.
Will he challenge for a starting spot as a true freshman? Probably not, but he will be one in the very near future.
