Ohio State football has seen its fair share of exceptional play in the secondary throughout the history of the program. From Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau to last year’s first round draft pick Eli Apple, plenty of elite defensive backs have played their college ball in Columbus before moving onto the NFL. Malik Hooker may be the next in line to realize that dream.

Malik Hooker Primed To Carry the Torch for the Buckeyes Secondary

The New Castle, PA native was part of OSU’s top-five 2014 recruiting class. But he arrived with little fanfare considering he was a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com. Hooker redshirted the Buckeyes national championship campaign and saw limited action last year. Though he appeared in all 13 games, he totaled just ten tackles.

It marked a transition to the collegiate game that was rough at times for Hooker. Head coach Urban Meyer has continually emphasized he recruits players who can contribute immediately. When that doesn’t happen, it can become immensely frustrating for players. For Hooker, that became an unfortunate reality.

And it led to him having thoughts of quitting the program altogether. Though he wouldn’t be the first player to do so, it’s never good to see a career come to an end like that. Fortunately, in talking with influential people in his life including his mother, he decided against such a knee jerk reaction.

Instead, he decided to put in work. One of the themes Meyer has stressed in 2016 is something he likes to call “the edge.” He describes it as that point where average decides to give up while the elite persevere, elevating themselves to a level they didn’t think they had. Hooker epitomized that mantra throughout the spring and into preseason camp and was rewarded by being named starter at safety.

Malik Hooker Making the Most of His Opportunity

His first chance to prove himself came in the season opener against Bowling Green. On a sun-splashed day at the Horseshoe in front of over 107,000, one couldn’t have faulted Hooker if he exhibited a case of the jitters in his first career start. Instead, all he did was show flashes of brilliance associated with the Buckeye greats at his position.

It began a mere nine minutes into the first quarter. With BGSU facing a third and ten, Falcons quarterback James Knapke dropped back, looked to his left and attempted to find wide receiver Ronnie Moore on a go route. Hooker had other ideas.

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Malik Hooker ? https://t.co/sc3r7BAYNa — Football Is Life (@FootbaIl_Tweets) September 5, 2016

Not a bad way to get your first interception in a Buckeye uniform. Hooker’s ability to flare over to the perimeter and be that over the top threat was impressive enough. But for him to come up with the ball in the spectacular manner in which he did speaks to his potential as a special player.

Hooker would get another interception in the second quarter and add four unassisted tackles in the 77-10 blowout. A week later, his Buckeyes would welcome the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to Columbus. And if fans of the Scarlet and Gray thought their newly found sensation was going to have a quiet outing in week two, they were proven wrong before halftime.

Hooker’s First Half Heroics Against Tulsa

With the OSU offense struggling to get things going, a spark needed to come from somewhere. Four of their first six offensive possessions resulted in no points and the other two ended in Tyler Durbin field goals. After turning it over on downs with just over three minutes left in the first half, it was time for the defense to take matters into their own hands.

Enter Hooker. On the ensuing play, Tulsa quarterback Dane Evans tried to thread the needle in passing it to wide receiver Josh Stewart. He paid the price big time as you can see below.

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Any thoughts the Golden Hurricane entertained regarding the possibility of an upset pretty much ended on that play. Hooker’s ability to read the quarterback’s eyes and pounce on poor decision-making was on full display. With the momentum clearly in their favor, the ball-hawking Buckeye defense wasn’t done.

On Tulsa’s next possession, the unit forced a fumble even though once again the OSU offense couldn’t turn it into points. But that’s when the secondary stepped up yet again. After the punt, Tulsa’s offense came back onto the field. Three plays later, Evans was intercepted once more, this time by cornerback Marshon Lattimore. But it didn’t mean Hooker wasn’t going to make his presence felt on the play.

Watch this block that INT guru Malik Hooker puts on a 325lb Tulsa guard during Marshon Lattimore's pick-six! Nasty! pic.twitter.com/lRxSLTx09G — The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) September 12, 2016

Not only is Hooker capable of tracking the ball in the air laterally to force a turnover. Not only does he pounce on poor throws down the middle. But apparently he can also steamroll a player over 100 pounds heavier than him into the turf.

Ohio State Defense Flying High Heading Into Huge Tilt Against Oklahoma

Much was made in the off-season about all the talent OSU needed to replace on the defensive side of the football. Hooker was among those players who had a lot of question marks assigned to him. But two games in and it doesn’t seem like the unit is missing much of a beat, and Hooker has obviously had a role.

The Buckeye defense is ranked top five nationally in a variety of key defensive categories. Some of those can be viewed below:

3.5 interceptions per game (first)

One opponent play of 20+ yards (t-second)

6.5 points allowed per game (t-third)

18 pass breakups (t-third)

40 percent opponent red zone conversion percentage (t-fourth)

216 total yards allowed per game (fifth)

That defensive acumen is going to be put to the ultimate test Saturday night on the road against Oklahoma. The Sooners boast a prolific offensive attack that includes quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Joe Mixon. And in front of their home fans, OU will undoubtedly be looking to prove something after a 33-23 loss to Houston in the season opener.

Hooker has certainly put himself on the map after two impressive performance. However, the one criticism is that they both came against significantly overmatched opponents. Oklahoma in Norman against a Heisman-caliber signal caller will be a completely different animal altogether.

But if he can play his part in continuing a 19-game unbeaten streak on the road under Meyer, his hype train will continue to run at full speed. In so doing, he may be well on his way towards maintaining the standard of excellence that has come to be associated with the Ohio State secondary over the years.