Amid all the buzz about freshman wide receiver Carnell Tate, there’s another talented first-year Buckeye on the defensive side of the ball with a chance to contribute in a major way in 2023.
Three days remain until the Buckeyes take the field in Bloomington for their season-opening tilt with Indiana, and Malik Hartford remains in the thick of a safety competition with two seniors, Ja’Had Carter and Josh Proctor.
While he’s not the most likely option to be the starting adjuster to begin the season, the praise he’s consistently received from coaches can only be a good sign for his future.
“Smart. (He’s got) football intelligence,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Tuesday. “I had a guy at Oklahoma State, Kolby Harvell-Peel, played for me as a freshman. There are guys that are rare. They come in, they just have an understanding of the game and they find a way to get around the ball. It jumps out at you.”
Hartford’s hype began after his early enrollment in the spring. He was one of three true freshmen to shed his black stripe in April, “officially” becoming a Buckeye on April 7.
"Malik has come in and worked," Ohio State safeties coach Perry Eliano said of Hartford in April. "You see the talent that you saw when he was at Lakota West. He's extremely smart and has a high football IQ. He's a very, very humble young man that has come in and shown flashes of what he can be. He's still learning the game of football on the collegiate level, but I'll tell you what, I've been pleased with what I've seen."
It’s not that Hartford was an unheralded recruit, checking in at 151st nationally and 11th at safety in the 247Sports composite. But to see him immediately make waves at a program of Ohio State’s stature, competing with seniors to start in the secondary, it’s as though he was a five-star prospect.
“There are guys that are rare. They come in, they just have an understanding of the game and they find a way to get around the ball. It jumps out at you.”– Jim Knowles
Day and company aren’t surprised by Hartford’s rapid progress, however. Even in the evaluation process, they believed he was especially gifted.
“We saw a guy who flashed on film and really was physical on film,” Day said Tuesday. “I remember some of the highlights he had coming out of high school, just a really fast, violent player. Then when he got here, we quickly learned that there was more to him than just that. Very mature approach. He sees it. He’s got very good instincts.”
Competing for a spot come fall camp required changes to his body, as Hartford came in under 170 pounds, according to Day. With Hartford’s above-mentioned maturity, however, Day believed he’d add the weight he needed in short order. And Hartford did.
“We had a little friendly wager between Coach Knowles and I,” Day said. “I said, ‘By the time August camp hits, he’s going to be over 190.’ Coach Knowles jumped on the bet, and I won. He came in at 192. So from January to August, he really got after it in the weight room and he deserves the opportunity to play. He’s done everything he’s been asked to do.”
“Playing” still likely doesn’t equate to “starting” just yet, though that hasn’t been ruled out and could become more likely as the year goes on depending on how Carter and Proctor perform to start the year.
“He still is a freshman, so we’ll be smart early on in this game (against Indiana),” Day said. “But I’m really excited about his future.”
Then again, Knowles did reiterate Tuesday that all three of those safeties are still in competition for the starting spot.
“Who's gonna get it? We still got a couple of days of practice left. Let's go out and see what you’re made of,” Knowles said. “Go out and get the position.”
Day said Tuesday that he expects Hartford to see playing time in the secondary against Indiana, and it’s likely Hartford will also see immediate action on special teams.
There’s plenty of possibilities in front of the in-state talent, and he seems to be on a trajectory toward playing a major role for the Buckeyes early in his career.
