In Saturday’s game against Bowling Green, sophomore Malik Hooker was able to secure two interceptions on the way to a 77-10 win. Hooker has piqued the interest of analysts since the spring game, where he had two interceptions, including a pick six. The third year safety will look to continue this success and build himself into a top tier safety. As of lately, Ohio State has a reputation for sending defensive backs to the NFL, with six currently in the NFL. This is tied with Florida, South Carolina and West Virginia for 4th, only behind LSU (10), Texas (10), Florida State (8), Clemson (7), Alabama (7), and USC (7). With all the tools around him to be successful, here is the Malik Hooker analysis from LWOS.
Malik Hooker Analysis
What His Coaches Think
If you ask the Ohio State coaching staff, they will have nothing but good things to say about Hooker. Assistant coach Luke Fickell called Hooker’s high school coach and said that he ran a 4.56 40 yard dash with no technique. The Ohio State strength and conditioning coach has stated that he can do something special with someone like him. Head Coach Urban Meyer said that the only thing he lacks is “on-field arrogance” like Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell had. The list goes on and on about how highly his coaches think of Hooker.
His Versatility
Ohio State has so much talent, that it almost seems impossible to utilize it all. Of the first two lines of the secondary, two were three-star recruits and the six were four-star recruits. With this sort of talent, Greg Schiano has had to try and adjust how to utilize them. Schiano does this by having players play both free and strong safety. This opens up more options to allow for both lines to be utilized and give players rest throughout the game. Ohio State has also been running a Cover 4 scheme that requires the safeties to cover slot receivers. Because of Hooker’s speed, he is able to cover the entire field, like his two interceptions on Saturday. On both occasions, he started in the middle of the field and tracked the ball to the sideline before making the pick.
Numbers Don’t Lie
If you ask one of the best corner backs in NFL history, he will say that numbers speak for themselves. The same applies for Hooker. He is the first Buckeye with two interceptions in a game since Doran Grant in the 2014. The last safety for Ohio State to have two interceptions in a game was Kurt Coleman in 2009. While Hooker may have a tough time living up to the standards set by Coleman and Bell, he will still a force to watch.
Overall
While fans should not expect Hooker to make this sort of impact every week, he will be a key part of the 2016 defense. Teams will likely begin to avoid the middle of the field, cutting a large portion of the playbook out. If Schiano can continue to move Hooker around, he could very well end up being one of the contenders for the Jim Thorpe Award for the next few years.
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