Asked who’s been standing out to him this spring practice, Lorenzo Styles Jr. gave one name on Tuesday.
“I want to give a shout to my guy Malik Harford,” Styles said. “I don't really think it was just the spring. In the winter, offseason, he was going real hard. We have this thing where you grade out a champion and he holds himself to a high standard, and he did that. It’s translating to the field.”
He’s the latest in a line of people to talk up the junior safety. Hartford is competing with sophomore Jaylen McClain to start alongside Caleb Downs at safety, though it’s sounding more and more likely both will play, and indications are that his coaches and teammates expect a breakout year from Hartford.
“I think he's done a really good job of being consistent every day, training his body,” defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said on March 24. “He's improved a lot. His movement has improved, his strength has improved. And he's just a student of the game. He's in here all the time studying and learning.”
Hartford’s been gearing up for this opportunity since his freshman season in 2023, when he played 158 snaps and made 10 tackles with two pass breakups, seeing use in a few meaningful spots behind then-starters Josh Proctor and Lathan Ransom.
His usage dipped a bit in 2024, seeing only 94 snaps, during which he recorded eight tackles and a PBU. Missing last year’s spring practice with a shoulder injury hindered his development. But he’s taken his approach to another level in his third offseason.
“I’ve seen a big jump from Malik,” safeties coach Matt Guerrieri said on March 7. “You're gonna see a different kind of guy when he takes the field this spring. It’s all mentality. Physically, it's why you saw the flashes of him as a true freshman, and he's always had that piece right there. But the mentality, the toughness, the grit that he has, that's showing up big-time right now. So I’ve got big expectations for him.”
Hartford wasn’t just the starting safety alongside Caleb Downs in the Buckeyes’ first two spring practices, which were open to the media, he was rolling down toward the line of scrimmage but also playing deep in a more standard over-the-top safety role. With Ohio State seeking to replace the diverse coverage responsibilities that Ransom and Jordan Hancock fulfilled last year, there could be some hitherto unseen versatility in Hartford’s game that would be a huge boost.
“I really like, right now, I think that there is some flexibility for (Hartford) to be able to play down (at the line of scrimmage), play back,” Patricia said. “He has great range in that back end too, which is really good. And now just maybe a little bit of eye control and teaching where he's reading and kind of being able to see through the uncovered linemen back into the quarterback.”
Of course, part of the reason Hartford’s coaches are cross-training him in spring practice is to develop a more well-rounded game and figure out exactly what his strengths are at this point in his career.
“Sometimes when you see game day, you might see guys in one role,” Guerrieri said on Tuesday. “Well, that's because we've gotten to that point, right? In the spring, we don't do that. Those guys are playing a ton of different things. So we're evaluating, ‘Hey, can they play the deep part of the field? Can they play the intermediate part of the field? Could they blitz? Can they cover man-to-man?’ So we're evaluating all that type of stuff. So I want to stress to the guys right now, Malik included, to say, ‘Hey, let's see you do a number of these things.’”
Hartford is still locked into an ongoing position battle with McClain to replace Ransom at strong safety, but both have impressed enough that it’s sounding like they’ll both see the field in 2025. Probably together in at least some packages.
“I'm really happy with those two guys,” Guerrieri said. “Malik's had a great spring. Jaylen's had a great spring. Competition's been awesome, but it's our job as coaches to have packaging that, if those guys earn the right to be on the field, we've got to put them on the field. So, how do we find the balance to be able to play multiple safeties, multiple corners in packaging?
“I think Matt Patricia's the guru of being able to do that throughout his career, what he's been able to do from a personnel standpoint. But I'm very, very impressed and happy with Malik, with Jalen, the mentality, the performance on the field. It’s been really good.”
Head coach Ryan Day added on Monday that both Hartford and McClain have “made a move” at the position. If the praise of Hartford rings true this fall, Ohio State’s secondary will make a move toward being the best in the nation once more.
