Ohio State Football: Interesting battle at the safety position

The Ohio State football team has a position battle to figure out in the secondary once fall camp begins. The safety spot is up for grabs.

One interesting situation on the Ohio State football team is who will be the right man to fill the spot at the center field position now that Jordan Fuller has moved on to the NFL. With most of the fanbase and media alike projecting Josh Proctor as the heir apparent to Fuller, let’s not forget that there is another man for the job.

Marcus Hooker, the brother of former Ohio State standout safety Malik Hooker, is also in the running for the open position. The redshirt sophomore should figure to have a legitimate chance at the position with Kerry Coombs back as defensive coordinator, the man who recruited him out of high school.

Hooker appeared in five games last season and registered seven total tackles.

With that said, Josh Proctor currently stands as the overwhelming favorite to earn the job during the summer. Proctor is known for his hard hitting abilities and athletic make-up, but questions still linger concerning his ability to handle the deep safety spot in coverage.

We saw in the Clemson game when Ohio State would play two safeties on the field Proctor got beat a couple times by taking bad angles to the receivers. That cannot happen next season if he wins the job.

Jordan Fuller did such an outstanding job last season in being what they called ‘the eraser.’ If mistakes happened by corners or linebackers in coverage, Fuller was there to erase them. In a single safety defense, that is what the position asks for.

While Proctor is instinctive and can put big blows on receivers coming over the middle, he has to prove he can cover and take the right angles. If he can’t, Hooker could be in line to receive a good amount of playing time next season.