Ohio State Football: Wanna Talk About Rags to Riches?
It’s amazing how fast the fortunes of some Ohio State football players turn around.
Former Ohio State football player Malik Hooker just signed his first NFL contract and that definitely improved his financial situation. The 15th pick in the draft signed a four-year deal worth over 12.5 million dollars. I think that makes Hooker and former teammate Marshon Lattimore, who signed a 15 million dollar contract recently, a couple of rags to riches stories.
One year ago, neither one of these two players had started one game in the defensive backfield for Ohio State. They probably were just a blip on the radar of NFL scouts, and now they are worth millions.
First let’s take a look at the newest member of the millionaire club, Malik Hooker.
Because both Vonn Bell and Tyvis Powell opted for the NFL, Hooker was the next man up to play safety for Ohio State. Last year at this time he was coming off a terrific spring game in which he intercepted two passes and returned one of them for a touchdown.
But having never been in the bright spotlight of a big game, how would he perform? It certainly didn’t take long to find out.
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After seven interceptions, with three returned for touchdowns, it was a done deal that Hooker would be a first round draft pick.
Marshon Lattimore was a highly ranked cornerback coming out of high school. However, the Cleveland Glenville product battled hamstring issues his first two seasons and had a hard time seeing the field.
Last season Lattimore finally was healthy but had to battle redshirt freshman Denzel Ward in the fall for the starting cornerback position. He made the most of his chance when he won the job though. He intercepted four passes last season, returning one for a touchdown, and became the top shutdown corner in the country.
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Now, Hooker and Lattimore are moving on to the NFL and getting paid to play the game they love. This time last year they were probably pooling their money with college buddies to order from the pizza shop around the corner, but now they can buy the shop and have one delivered any time they want. I think that’s a rags to riches story if I have ever heard one.