COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Ohio State safeties coach Matt Barnes said Wednesday that the Buckeyes aren’t reinventing the wheel to splinter from their base single-high safety look utilized most of last season, but the two players vying for the top of the depth chart possess rather different qualities on the field.
Barnes broke down the strengths and weaknesses that both junior Josh Proctor and redshirt sophomore Marcus Hooker bring to the position for Ohio State, and those differences may very well impact how each is implemented in the defense this season.
“Situationally, one skillet versus the other allows us to be a little bit more multiple where we need to be, and play them in some different spots,” Barnes said. “They’ve both played at a high level and we’re counting on those guys in a big way for us this season.”
Proctor’s skillset was seen more often than Hooker’s last season, as the No. 80 overall prospect in the class of 2018 backed up veteran starter Jordan Fuller in the single-high role in 2019.
In the Fiesta Bowl against Clemson though, Proctor played quite a few snaps alongside Fuller, fueling speculation that the Buckeyes could transition away from a single-high setup moving forward.
Barnes, the special teams coordinator who also works with the Ohio State safeties in defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs’ secondary room, dispelled that notion on Wednesday.
“We’re really running the same defense. If you look at us, we’re really not a split-safety team,” Barnes said. “We dabbled in it a little bit here and there during the Clemson game, but even then it was mostly rotational, so we were kind of getting back in the middle of the field. If it’s not broke don’t fix it.”
However, that doesn’t mean Proctor won’t be used in something of a hybrid role this season, based on what Barnes thinks his strong suits are.
With senior linebacker Pete Werner moving inside this season from the outside Sam spot, where his versatility in coverage helped render the Bullet position somewhat useless, Proctor’s talents closer to the line of scrimmage could see him utilized in similar looks.
“You probably gain a little bit more with Pete in the run game than you would with Josh, you probably gain a little bit more in the throw game with Josh than you would with Pete,” Barnes said. “Some of those things will be situational and based on the offensive personnel that’s on the field.”
As for Hooker, a three-star athlete recruit in the class of 2018 and the younger brother of Ohio State standout Malik Hooker, Barnes views him as a ballhawking safety stationed in the back of the secondary.
“When I think of Marcus Hooker, I think of a true centerfielder,” Barnes said. “I think of a really rangy player that’s instinctive, that has, I would go as far as to say freakish ball skills. I mean he really tracks the ball well and does a great job of going to get it. Runs the alley well for us in the run game.”
Although Barnes said both safeties can do it all, he knows each of their preferences and comfort levels when it comes to different roles at the position.
“As far as coverage ability and the ability to play man-to-man or play closer to the box, I think that’s kind of the biggest difference between the two,” Barnes said. “Hooker’s kind of the centerfielder, and Proctor is probably more comfortable playing man-to-man and those types of things.”
While Proctor said he doesn’t see too many differences between himself and his stablemate, Hooker said each can do things the other cannot.
What does seem clear ahead of the Buckeyes’ Oct. 24 season opener, is that no one safety will dominate snaps at the position quite as much as Fuller did a season ago, no matter what defensive alignments Ohio State has in store.
