The No. 7 player on this list missed almost all of 2016 with an injury, but could end up providing the Buckeyes with one of the top defensive playmakers in the entire Big Ten.
No. 7 — Dante Booker, rJr Linebacker
Dante Booker came to Ohio State as a 5-star outside linebacker prospect from Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary. He was one of the crown jewels of the 2014 recruiting class. He was arguably the top prospect in Ohio that year, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become a Buckeye.
It’s nearly impossible for a freshman linebacker to make an impact on an Ohio State defense, and Booker was no different. When he arrived he found himself behind Joshua Perry at the Will linebacker position, where he spent the first two years of his OSU career. Then came the 2016 season. Booker was anointed a starter following the 2015 season and did everything he was asked to do in the offseason and in practice in order to keep that starting spot. Unfortunately, he was lost for the season to a knee injury in his first career start in the 2016 season opener.
Booker went down and Jerome Baker stepped in for him and played extremely well. But don’t let Baker’s play last season distract you from the fact that it was Booker who had earned a starting spot with Raekwon McMillan and Chris Worley, not Baker.
After seeing the plays made by Baker last season, it should be easy to get excited to think about what Booker can do in 2017. He won’t be playing the Will position that he spent his first three years at, however, as he has moved to the other side of the field and will be asked to put his outstanding athleticism to use out wide at the Sam.
Statistical History
| YEAR | G-GS | US | A | TOT | TFL | YD | SCK | PBU |
| 2014 | 11-0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 11-0 | 15 | 8 | 22 | 1.0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016* | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tot. | 23-1 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 1.0 | -1 | 0 | 0 |
*Redshirt season
What He Does Well
We don’t really know what he does well, but what we do know is pretty interesting. Dante Booker is 6-foot-3, weighs 240 pounds, and runs in the 4.4s. And, as was mentioned above, he beat out Jerome Baker for one of the three starting spots last season. No, they weren’t competing for the same position, but the three best linebackers always play, and he was determined to be one of the three best a year ago.
We have seen the Sam position used as a playmaker in the past — it’s the position that Darron Lee essentially perfected in 2014. Offenses have caught on a bit since then, working to keep the Sam linebacker in coverage as much as possible. Still, if Booker proves adept at making plays in the backfield, then they will find ways to free him up to get that done.
Dante Booker in 2017
If all goes as planned, Dante Booker should finish the season in the Top 3 of this list. He’s big, fast, and constantly talked about as having “freakish” athleticism. For the first three years of this defensive system, the Sam linebacker has been manned by a former safety. This will be the first time that it’s manned by a guy who has always been a linebacker — and one who some scouts thought could eventually become a very good defensive end. That should give you some kind of idea of the athleticism that Booker possesses.
As to what fans should expect from Booker this season, defensive coordinator Greg Schiano is always looking for tweaks to his defense. The versatility of his personnel gives him plenty of directions in which to go. Booker will play into this heavily. He might, however, be the odd man out if the Buckeyes do eventually try out a 5-man line here and there.
Still, if a 6-foot-3, 240-pound dude is athletic enough to stay with slot receivers, then you have to expect that some very special things will be in store for him. He might not always show up in the stat sheets when he’s in coverage, but he is going to have the opportunity to make plays on passes, as well as wide runs, swings, and screens.
What They Are Saying
“I’m excited about Dante. Dante is a special athlete and we’ve got him out in space. He’s got a lot of speed and quickness and ability to change direction, so we’ve got him out where Chris was, where that’s really a space player for us, so we’re excited to see how Book grows out there. I know he has a strong hunger, a great hunger. They all do. This is a hungry group of guys that want to go prove themselves and I’m excited about seeing Book getting his opportunity.” — Linebackers coach Billy Davis
“I see a guy that has a burning desire to be great, and that’s something that you look for in a team and a coach on a team. A lot of times you see guys get hurt and they walk around with their head down and they feel like ‘Maybe next year.’ I saw last year a guy that wouldn’t take no for an answer. It just so happened to be that his body wasn’t ready for it. He wanted to go that next week. Just being smart it wasn’t a good deal, but that’s why every week you saw ‘He’s ready, he’s going to be ready this week,’ but he wasn’t really ready, then it got to a point in time that his body was ready and it was kind of not smart to play him. Jerome was playing like he was playing. What I saw was a guy that wouldn’t take no for an answer. He fought every day to get back, and now that he’s back the offense is going to feel it. That’s just how it’s going to be.” — Linebacker Chris Worley
“He gives you energy, he gives you so much passion, that this year you just want to see him succeed because he did get hurt last year, but this year he’s back. I’m definitely excited to see what he can do. He’s very good. Like you were saying, he’s ‘not as explosive’, I don’t know where you got that from. He’s very, very explosive. Very explosive.” — Linebacker Jerome Baker
I would like to reply to Mr Dunham. Excellent Post. I enjoy reading them!!
I’ll be watching Baker, the best Linebacker in college football. Booker, well see!!
Booker may be fast but its hard for me to imagine him covering a slot reciever at 240, Maybe straight line speed but those little fellas are quick and change direction fast. Its more difficult to change direction at 240 than it is at 205 or less. I will have to wait and see. The only way I see it is with a jam. However I don’t think Schiano would put him there if he thought he couldn’t do his job. It will be interesting to see.
I think this LB unit is easily one of the best 5 units in college football this year. All 3 of these starters are going to be drafted in the top 4 rounds. I can’t wait to see this front 7 control opposing offenses all year.
The shuffling of the LB’s, re-intro of Booker will be an interesting dynamic. Talent is off the charts, let’s see what they can do to control a game for 60 minutes.