Post-OSU Update: Dante Booker was not selected in the 2019 NFL Draft, but he did sign with the Arizona Cardinals after the draft. He was cut before the 2019 regular season, however. (updated: Jan. 2024)

Major: Sport Industry (2015-17)

Weight: 235 (2018), 240 (2017), 236 (2016), 233 (2015), 220 (2014)

2018 Media Guide: Dante Booker is an experienced, fifth-year senior linebacker for the Buckeyes who has played in 33 games and started seven times … a shoulder issue kept him from competing during the
2018 spring drills … in the 2017 season, he came back from a knee injury in 2016, which prompted a red-shirt season, to start six games before a late season injury sidelined him for the duration … a three-year Varsity O letterwinner, Booker had 31 tackles, including 5.0 tackles-for-loss, in 2017 … recorded his first career interception in the win over Rutgers … had a career-high seven tackles vs. Nebraska and had career-highs of four solo tackles vs. Indiana and Rutgers … was named a “champion” by the Ohio State coaches for efforts in wins over Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska and Penn State.

2017 Media Guide: Dante Booker is a fourth-year junior who missed the 2016 season after injuring his knee in the first game of the season … he was a starter before his injury and was the No. 1 strong side
linebacker throughout 2017 spring drills … a veteran of 23 games and a two-time Varsity O letterwinner, Booker enters the season with 31 career tackles … Booker spent a week in Ecuador this May as part of the Athletic Department’s involvement with the Soles 4 Souls program, a community service and goodwill effort dedicated to fighting poverty through the distribution of shoes and clothing … the Ecuador trip is the fourth such trip Ohio State student-athletes have been a part; others went to Costa Rica, Jamaica and Bolivia.

2016: Booker started the season opener against Bowling Green at linebacker but injured his knee after 12 plays and was lost for the season … he had two solo tackles at the time of his injury.

2016 Media Guide: Dante Booker has 22 games of experience and he will be a key member of a linebacker corps that loses two of three starters from the 2015 campaign … this true junior has 29 career tackles and he held the No. 1 strong side linebacker position all spring that Joshua Perry, now with the San Diego Chargers, had manned the past three seasons … Booker was named Academic All-Big Ten for the 2015-16 campaign and he was named an OSU Scholar-Athlete in 2014-15.

2015: Booker played 98 snaps on defense and another 99 on special teams for 197 total plays as a sophomore for the 12-1 Buckeyes … he recorded 22 tackles with a career-high game of five tackles vs. Penn State, including four solo stops, four-tackle games vs. Virginia Tech and Maryland and three solo tackles vs. Michigan … was awarded his second Varsity O letter.

2015 Media Guide: Dante Booker played in 11 games for the 2014 College Football Playoff national champions as a true freshman … he had his first collegiate action with 11 plays on defense vs. Kent State and he played on special teams in 10 additional games, including the final eight games of the season when he averaged just over 13 plays per game … he had a high game of 21 plays vs. No. 1 Alabama in the Allstate Sugar Bowl … also had 20 plays vs. Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship
game … earned his first Varsity O letter … Booker is an OSU Scholar-Athlete.

2014 Media Guide: The 2013 Ohio Mr. Football, Dante Booker was considered one of the very best players in the nation with a five star rating from 247Sports and a No. 13 overall ranking … the first
defensive player to win Ohio Mr. Football since Andy Katzenmoyer in 1995, Booker was rated the No. 2 outside linebacker by 247Sports, the No. 4 OLB by Scout and the No. 4 inside linebacker by Rivals … ESPN rated him No. 8 on the outside … additionally: a Top 100 player nationally by Rivals and Scout and No. 130 on the ESPN 300 … Associated Press Division III all-state in 2012 and 2013, and the defensive player of the year in 2013.

High School: Totaled 126 tackles as a senior and lead St. Vincent-St. Mary to back-to-back state championships, including a perfect, 15-0 record in 2013 and a 13-2 mark in 2012 … also had 24 tackles-for-loss, eight sacks and two interceptions for coach Dan Boarman’s Fighting Irish as a senior … named in 2013 a Parade All-American, USA Today All-American, U.S. Army All-American, the Akron Beacon Journal player of the year and the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards’ high school athlete of the year … had 90 tackles and 14 TFLs as a junior and 157 tackles and 11 sacks as a sophomore … teammate of 2014 Buckeye recruit Parris Campbell.

Personal: Is the son of Nicole Hartman and Dante Booker Sr. … father played collegiately at Auburn and in the Canadian Football League.