Ohio State redshirt sophomore safety Marcus Hooker (23) runs through a drill at practice. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Ohio State will see a familiar name occupy the safety position in 2020, but unlike his brother, Marcus Hooker will look to build a name for himself in a secondary that is replacing a three-year starter.
The redshirt sophomore safety Hooker will partly be responsible for filling the void left by former Buckeye and current Los Angeles Rams safety Jordan Fuller, who started 40 games throughout his collegiate career. The expectations set by Fuller are only magnified for Hooker, who shares a familial bond with Indianapolis Colts safety Malik Hooker.
In 2016, Malik Hooker played a key role in the Buckeye defense, gathering seven interceptions and turning three of those into touchdowns while earning a unanimous All-American nod. Looking to find some of his brother’s success, Marcus Hooker said he has received some advice from his brother as he steps into a heightened role.
“Just to stay focused and not to always dwell on things that happen — all the bad things, whether I have a bad day or even a good day — just to look at it as a way for me to improve each and every day,” Marcus Hooker said Wednesday in a conference call.
Like his brother, Marcus Hooker excels in pass coverage. Safeties coach Matt Barnes said that like Malik, Marcus is a “true center fielder.”
“We all have a different mindset playing safety and I feel like mine is just getting the ball,” Marcus Hooker said. “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 I can.”
Along with similar coverage skills to his brother, Barnes said that Marcus Hooker’s abilities will play a key role in the Buckeyes’ defensive success this season.
“I think of a really rangy player that’s instinctive that has, I would go as far as to say, freakish ball skills,” Barnes said. “He really tracks the ball well and does a great job at going to get it.”
Despite having the full workload that comes with playing football at a high level, Marcus Hooker said that he and his brother talk about two or three times a week in order to check up on each other.
While Marcus Hooker looks to live up to the family name, he will also be tasked with replacing the former three-year starter Fuller.
In his career, Fuller recorded 216 tackles, five interceptions and recovered 10 fumbles.
Anchoring the defense from the single-high safety position in 2019, Fuller allowed the Buckeyes to put three cornerbacks on the field in most situations — turning to a two-high safety look on a few occasions in 2019.
Barnes said the group will continue with this identity as long as the situation doesn’t dictate something else, and Marcus Hooker said he needs to do several things on the field to be successful at filling the high-safety position.
“It’s just to get the ball down whenever it’s in front of me,” Marcus Hooker said. “Being in the middle of the field it’s kinda hard making that open-field tackle, so we kinda work on trying to handle that whenever it comes. So, we’re preparing ourselves ahead of time whenever that situation happens in the game.”
Fuller’s understanding of the defense and opposing offenses gave him an edge, Barnes said.
Playing underneath him the last two seasons, Marcus Hooker said Fuller’s dedication to the mental side of the game left an impression on him.
“Jordan was a tremendous athlete, and on top of it, he was on top of his film,” Marcus Hooker said. “That’s kinda the bigger step we have to take as upcoming safeties, so we have to just be more detailed when we’re watching film because that’s what Jordan always told us.”
As Marcus Hooker continues to progress, he said that he is becoming more detailed with his approach this season.
Marcus Hooker said that working on becoming a consistent player has allowed him to get closer to realizing his full potential.
“Now I am starting to get that more glimpse of what I can become,” Marcus Hooker said. “We’re still working toward being the best people we can be here and trying to work our way to being able to handle things when we have our first game.”
