The Ohio State football recruiting class of 2023 is complete and despite some murmurs of negativity in the crowd, this class is fantastic from top to bottom. One of the studs of this class is a four-star homegrown safety from right in the backyard of Ohio State. Malik Hartford is from Lakota West in West Chester, Ohio, and comes to campus with an insane amount of hype.
Hartford is regarded as a top 70 prospect in the country and a top five safety in the class and has all of the traits to see the field early and often for the Buckeyes. The back half of the defense returns some exciting pieces, but there is definite room for improvement. Lathan Ransom brings the experience back and expectations are high for Kye Stokes, but there is plenty of room for a young gun to see action.
Name: Malik Hartford
High School: Lakota West (West Chester, OH)
Height: 6-feet, 2-inches
Weight: 175 pounds
4-Star Edge
Strengths
Breaking It All Down
Malik Hartford plays like a prototype safety with elite play recognition and awareness to go with the top-notch closing speed that allows him to attack open lanes against a rushing attack or roam sideline to sideline in coverage.
Future Ohio State safety Malik Hartford ruining a screen pass from future Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. pic.twitter.com/HaEOGX7H56
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) January 7, 2023
Weaknesses
Breaking It All Down
It is so cliche and feels like such a cop-out considering how often I say it, but if you look at Hartford’s physical stature, his biggest weakness should be obvious as he only weighs 175 pounds, and despite playing much larger and having a frame to add at least 15 pounds, Hartford needs to live in the weight room.
Malik Hartford (@MalikHartford) jumps it perfectly but can’t come up with the interception against his own quarterback, Lincoln Kienholz (@LincolnKienholz) pic.twitter.com/iLlIRlKJwg
— Matt Parker (@MattParkerLR) January 4, 2023
Comparison: Malik Hooker
Breaking It All Down
Malik Hooker is one of the best safeties in Ohio State history. Hooker arrived on campus in 2014 and took a redshirt, but Hooker immediately saw playing time the next season as a redshirt freshman and as a redshirt sophomore he started at free safety for the Buckeyes for what was one of the greatest seasons for a defensive back in Ohio State history. Hooker was named All-Big Ten and an All-American and then declared for the NFL draft with two seasons of eligibility remaining and was drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts in 2017. Hooker dealt with some injuries early in his career but has bounced back since playing with the Dallas Cowboys.
I know I previously noted that Hartford is a perfect strong safety and I compared him to a free safety, but I think Hartford can do it all. He has the athleticism and physicality to play any safety spot in this defense and he has the potential to be a high-caliber four-year contributor.
Ohio State safety Malik Hartford with a PBU in the end zone pic.twitter.com/6B7OL1ycSk
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong247) January 3, 2023
