Ohio State has now signed three players from Lakota West High School in a two-year span.
A year ago, Jyaire Brown and Tegra Tshabola officially became Buckeyes when they submitted their National Letters of Intent to Ohio State. On Wednesday, their former Firebird teammate ensured he would soon be their future Buckeye teammate when Malik Hartford officially signed with Ohio State as a member of its 2023 recruiting class.
The Ohio co-defensive player of the year has been waiting to become a Buckeye his entire life. The kid from West Chester, OH is bringing his hard hat and the boom to Columbus to get to work. Welcome to The Brotherhood Malik Hartford#CHO23N | @MalikHartford pic.twitter.com/HRJqa2m8Je
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 21, 2022
Like Tshabola and Brown, Hartford is a top-200 overall prospect in his class (163rd in 247Sports’ composite rankings) who received interest from many top programs but chose to stay in-state. Alabama, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State and Tennessee were among more than two dozen schools that offered Hartford, the fourth-ranked Ohioan in the 2023 class. Still, he chose Ohio State because he is confident he will have the chance to compete for championships and develop into an NFL player in Columbus.
The Hartford File
- Class: 2023
- Size: 6-3/175
- Pos: S
- School: Lakota West (West Chester, Ohio)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: #163 (#11 S)
“I got all the offers I felt like I needed. I got all the big schools I felt like I needed to have. And from there, I just chose Ohio State because it felt like the right place,” Hartford said after his commitment.
It helped Ohio State’s cause that Hartford had already built a relationship with Perry Eliano before Eliano became the Buckeyes’ safeties coach in January. Eliano gave Hartford his first scholarship offer when he was the cornerbacks coach at Cincinnati. He extended an Ohio State offer to Hartford less than two weeks after his move to Columbus, putting the wheels in motion for Hartford to ultimately become a Buckeye.
“I've known him since the beginning of my recruiting process,” Hartford said. “He was at Cincinnati, and Cincinnati was my first offer, then him moving to Ohio State and then getting offered by Ohio State made me see how much he trusted me and how much he liked my talent.”
On the field, Hartford looks like a natural fit for a defensive system Jim Knowles described as “safety-driven.” He’s both a rangy athlete who can patrol the deep middle in coverage and a physical hitter who wallops opponents despite his slender frame at 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds.
Hartford could potentially play free or strong safety for the Buckeyes, and Lakota West coach Tom Bolden – who says he would play Hartford at free safety – expects Hartford to thrive in Ohio State’s defensive scheme, especially as he matures physically.
“He can do a lot of special things,” Bolden said after Hartford’s commitment. “The ceiling is crazy high because, I mean, think 12 months from now, physically what he's gonna look like. It's gonna be scary.”
With Ronnie Hickman in his final season at Ohio State and Lathan Ransom also having an NFL decision to make after the season, Hartford could have a chance to compete for early playing time in Ohio State’s secondary. At a minimum, Hartford should be a candidate to contribute quickly on special teams while developing into a potential future starter on the back end of the Buckeyes’ defense.
A playmaker in all three phases of the game at Lakota West, where he blocked six kicks during his junior year, Hartford looks forward to contributing in every way he can for the Buckeyes.
“I take pride in every aspect of the game, so whatever will help my team win and help me get on the field, I'll definitely take advantage of,” Hartford said.
