Buckeyes reserve safety Marcus Hooker enters transfer portal

COLUMBUS — Another member of the Ohio State secondary is leaving the program: Marcus Hooker has entered the transfer portal.

Lettermen Row confirmed the news that the senior will leave the Buckeyes program and try finding a fit elsewhere. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

A former three-star recruit, Hooker had some of the athleticism and ball-hawk skills that made his brother Malik a first-round NFL Draft pick, and the Buckeyes thought Marcus Hooker could develop into a similar-type player. But up-and-down play, mixed with two off-field incidents during his career, continued to hold Hooker back from becoming a star for the Buckeyes.

Now with three new defensive coaches, a change in philosophy and a logjam at safety with young talent and veterans who have played well, Hooker seemed to be headed for an exit from the program.

The Buckeyes are still in good shape in the safety room, even after the departure of Hooker, Bryson Shaw and sophomore Andre Turrentine, who entered the transfer portal on Monday.

“The good news is, when you look at it, there’s three safeties out there a lot of times,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said this spring. “So there’s another guy on the field doing that, where a few years ago, there were three linebackers in the game and two safeties. So there’s one more position in that personnel grouping that guys can get on the field. And so they’re just competing. I think Jim [Knowles], Perry [Eliano] and Tim [Walton], they’re still trying to figure out how guys fit exactly because each one of those three safeties, they have a different skill set and are asked to do different jobs.”

Hooker was a starter at the beginning of the 2020 season. He couldn’t hold onto the job and after slipping down the depth chart a year ago, Hooker didn’t find his fit at safety this spring. Now he’ll look to fit in elsewhere on a different roster.

His time at Ohio State has come to a close. Marcus Hooker is in the transfer portal.