When Raekwon McMillan made his expected announcement to turn pro, rumors swirled about his replacement in the middle of Ohio State's defense. A starter for back-to-back seasons, the man the Miami Dolphins took in the second round of the NFL Draft leaves behind massive expectations.
Chris Worley played strong side linebacker, or SAM, for the Buckeyes in 2016. He repped at MIKE during spring practice in place of McMillan, while Dante Booker took his place and Jerome Baker kept hold of his starting job at WILL. Booker started at WILL in last year's season opener but went down with a sprained MCL and never played again because of Baker's rapid rise to stardom.
Worley had a fine season at SAM, which led many to believe he would stay there for 2017 and Booker (or someone else) would step in for McMillan as the new man in the middle. Instead, it is Booker's name slated atop the depth chart at SAM linebacker.
Why? Well, to put it bluntly, he is a freak.
“Just because he is long doesn't mean he is not explosive and quick. He may be our fastest linebacker,” new linebackers coach Billy Davis said recently. “He may be our quickest to be honest with you. Dante has got explosion in his body, and that is what you need in space.”
With McMillan gone, Booker is easily the most physically imposing linebacker Ohio State has on its roster, outside of true freshman Baron Browning. Both weigh around 240 pounds and stand at 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4 but the freshman missed the latter half of spring with a shoulder injury. Baker is listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds and Worley is 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds.
According to Davis, the SAM and WILL are interchangeable positions within Ohio State's scheme and he stressed to each of the players in his meeting room the need to know all three linebacker spots in the event of an emergency. But Booker has an edge to him, both because he missed time with injury a year ago and because that's how he moves through his daily life.
“Dante is just wired as a competitor,” Davis said. “If we go winner/loser in anything, you can ask any of the backers, everybody has got their money on Dante. He is going to win, and he is going to find a way.”
A reporter jokingly asked Worley this spring if he should have stayed at SAM because he, instead of someone else, was the most explosive and fastest linebacker on Ohio State's roster. Worley laughed.
“If we go winner/loser in anything, you can ask any of the backers, everybody has got their money on Dante. He is going to win, and he is going to find a way.”– Billy Davis
“I'm sure Book would love to hear that,” he said, before reiterating that both could admirably do the job. After all, Worley did in 2016 when he finished with 69 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, broke up four passes, intercepted one and forced a fumble. Nothing to scoff at for the guy who followed in the footsteps of Darron Lee.
Lee revolutionized the walkout linebacker position and blossomed into a first-round NFL Draft pick. Booker's athleticism and upside might not be on the same level. But it isn't too far off, according to his position coach.
“Tell me a receiver that is going to block Dante out there on a bubble screen,” Davis said. “It takes a whole game up. Here comes a sweep, there's Dante. Who is a receiver that is going to block him and make him stop from setting the edge and keeping that thing from getting outside? Then in coverage, if Dante is our fastest, now he has the best matchup for the coverage of the people they split out.”
That certainly sounds a lot like someone who the New York Jets selected 20th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. And like a player that needs to make plays in space for the Buckeyes this fall.
“There are a lot of reasons Dante's body type fits,” Davis said. “I am of the belief that the long, fast athlete — it used to be bad to be too long, it’s not that anymore.”
