WPIAL Recruiting: New Castle’s Hooker Commits to Ohio State

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 | 7:12 PM

One of the WPIAL’s top football recruits has made his decision. New Castle’s Malik Hooker chose football over basketball a couple of months ago and now he'll take his skills to Columbus, accepting a scholarship offer from Ohio State University on Monday.

Hooker is also one of the top basketball players in the WPIAL, playing on two championship teams for the Red Hurricanes in his sophomore and junior seasons, averaging 16.7 points in 2012-13. The senior did not play football until last season, he immediately produced and caught the eye of several college programs, scoring eleven touchdowns and averaged over 9 yards per carry and 25 yards per catch.

The 6-1 wide receiver/defensive back had as many as 30 Division 1 offers to sort thru during the off season after shining at some seven on seven showcases. He was ranked in the top ten to fifteen recruits in Pennsylvania. Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia were in the running, along with Navy, Arizona and Michigan. Hooker visited Alabama, but the Crimson Tide did not offer a scholarship.

Hooker also became a You Tube sensation after a thundering dunk in the PIAA semifinals against eventual champion Lower Merion, a play that made the ESPN Sportcenter Top 10. He added to his highlight reel with several outstanding catches in a national passing invitational in Alabama last week.

He also qualified for the WPIAL Track and Field Championships in the high jump in May. Hooker will play safety for the Buckeyes, he is the 16th player to commit to Ohio State for 2014.