It's safeties and specialists day in Columbus.
Matt Barnes, Ohio State's safeties coach, jumped on a Zoom call to offer updates on his position group. He was joined by safeties Marcus Hooker and Josh Proctor, along with kicker Blake Haubeil and punter Drue Chrisman.
A bullet-point rundown of each of them discussed.
Matt Barnes
- On Josh Proctor and Marcus Hooker: "I think they're outstanding players and outstanding young men." He says they're different types of players, which allows Ohio State to "be more multiple."
- "We're really running the same difference." He says they're planning to mainly use one high safety again because "if it's not broke, don't fix it."
- Barnes says Hooker is a "true center fielder" with "freakish ball skills."
- He says he's heard there are comparisons between Marcus and Malik Hooker but didn't coach Malik so he doesn't think he's the best person to ask.
- Barnes says he tries to assist Kerry Coombs as much as he can, and though he's technically the safeties coach, Coombs runs the entire defensive backs room.
- On if the cornerbacks and safeties meet apart or together: "We meet together."
- Barnes says the big thing for Proctor is to consistently get things right day after day and "continue to build small victories" by putting good days on top of good days.
- "I thought as highly of Jordan (Fuller) as I've ever felt of any player." Calls him a "brilliant, brilliant mind." Finding his replacement starts with knowing your own job.
- On the long snapper competition: "So far, so good." Right now, Bradley Robinson is the starter.
- Whether Ohio State can get Hooker and Proctor onto the field together depends on what the offense does, he says. He calls it situational.
- Garrett Wilson, Demario McCall, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cameron Martinez, Xavier Johnson and Chris Olave are among the players getting looks at returner. “Who's it going to be on Saturdays? I'm not ready to tell you that yet.”
- He says Haubeil always has feedback for the other specialists.
- The biggest difference at Ohio State compared to other places he's worked at is the culture.
- Barnes on Hooker and Proctor: “When it comes to physical talent, I don't think there's a shortage of talent for either one.” Said they are “at least as athletic if not more” than Jordan Fuller, but Barnes is still looking for more consistency from them.
- Barnes says he's not ashamed to say he doesn't think he's had an original idea yet in his football coaching career. He always is watching other football to learn.
- He says the offense has "so much talent" with "so many weapons at receiver." None of the receivers are just average, he says.
- Barnes on what he's seen of Ohio State's wide receivers in practices: "I've never seen a receiver corps that is even close to resembling the amount of speed and talent."
- Proctor and Hooker aspire to be "very similar" to Fuller, but you have to be careful not to try to be somebody else, Barnes says.
- Barnes says he charts what the long snappers do in team punt periods, which is where Bradley Robinson shined. "Right now, Brad has been more consistent" than Roen McCullough.
- Cameron Martinez "takes so much pride" in his game. Calls him a "legit tough guy." Says nothing he does that's positive will surprise him.
- He says he thinks as highly of Jonathon Cooper as anyone he's ever been around. "There's a ton of leadership on the defensive side of the ball."
Marcus Hooker
- Hooker says he wanted to maximize himself over the time he had off. People told him he had a chance to play a big role this year.
- Hooker's brother, Malik, told him not to dwell on the negatives or bad days and to persevere.
- "Proc has many things I don't have." He says Proctor's size and closing speed stand out.
- Jordan Fuller was "on top of his film" as well as being a "tremendous athlete." Fuller always told them to be as detailed as possible in the film room.
- On playing under Kerry Coombs and Barnes: "It's been a blast. Even though we get yelled at quite some times."
- Hooker says he's working on becoming more detailed in a bigger role this year.
- He says he and Proctor are "close friends" who shadowed each other and were always with each other when they first got on campus. "He always was just telling me to keep going or don't worry about that play."
- "Everybody's ready to play. Every last person in our position group."
- Hooker says his main mindset is "getting the ball." Says he knows he can tackle, but he's trying to figure out a way to get the ball "any way I can."
- Barnes "sparks the day" whenever he talks to him. He called him "little head" because his head's small and makes him smile.
- He and Malik Hooker try to be in contact as much as they can, but their schedules don't align much.
Josh Proctor
- He says both he and Hooker relied mainly on their athletic ability when they arrived and Fuller helped them learn the game.
- Fuller was a "quarterback" in the defense who communicated with the cornerbacks well.
- The goal this season: To prove that "Ohio State's here and we haven't went anywhere."
- On the Clemson game: "The plays that I messed up on, I think it motivated me, pushed me a little bit more to prepare."
- Proctor says he gets "a little jittery" back at safety and Barnes wants him to relax a little bit.
- He says he's fine to play any position the Buckeyes need.
- On losing to Clemson: "I go back and watch that game quite a bit." Says he thinks they should have won the game.
- On he and Hooker: "We're both rangy. We're both athletic. We're both smart. We're both instinctual."
- On playing under Coombs: "It's been a lot different. He brings energy [laughs]."
- Proctor says he wants to prove he's here and his name "will be a household name here."
- "I'm a physical guy. I like being physical. I don't care how big you are."
- He says he didn't have much experience playing near the line until recently.
Drue Chrisman
- He says the long-snapper battle was the "elephant in the room" with the specialists.
- Chrisman says he could have "made a few bucks" on his name, image and likeness if he were allowed given his bottle-flipping prowess.
- "That's one thing we don't do a lot around here is punt." Says you have to treat every punt the same.
- Chrisman wearing his wedding band after he got married earlier this year. Said he's wearing it when he punts, too – hasn't caused any issues so far.
- He says he has to "assert my dominance" when teammates challenge him to bottle-flipping challenges.
- Asked whether there is any editing in his bottle-flipping videos, he says that would take longer
- Chrisman said he got into a “really good routine” this offseason with working out on his own to stay sharp during the COVID-19 pandemic. He thinks sticking to a routine is crucial to avoid some of the special teams miscues that have happened elsewhere in college football.
- On his comfortability with COVID-19 protocols: "If anything, we've exceeded the precautions."
Blake Haubeil
- He says he's a big believer in the idea that you're only as good as your routine.
- Haubeil says they're going to miss Liam McCullough a lot but he enjoys the current long snappers. Bradley Robinson is his roommate.
- Barnes was "striving to create a relationship with every specialist" when he arrived. The important aspect of working with him is "constant communication."
- He says it was "very interesting" kicking in an empty Ohio Stadium. "Sort of, it doesn't change to much about me." He says he'll miss having fans in the stands.
- Haubeil says he has seven or eight different types of kicks.
