Hartford is in a competition with seniors Josh Proctor and Ja’Had Carter, a transfer from Syracuse.
“Between the three of them, they’ll play there (at Adjuster) and also back up Lathan, but there’s very much a competition still going on for that other spot,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said Monday.
Hartford enrolled at Ohio State after being one of the state’s top prospects at Lakota West last fall, so big things were expected of him.
Starting as a true freshman would qualify as a surprise, but Hartford’s name has come up frequently since the beginning of August across interviews with multiple position groups.
“It’s day-to-day, but you feel Malik’s presence on the field,” said Knowles, whose defense puts lot of responsibility on the safeties in hopes of letting the front six play more aggressively.
“I think when you’re talking about DBs, we all want to feel their presence on the field, including you and the fans,” Knowles said. “You want to feel it, an dMalik is a guy who is going to show up around the ball. He’s very smart.”
Safety is not only a key role in Knowles’ defense but was a sore spot last season as untimely breakdowns cost the Buckeyes dearly in losses to Michigan and Georgia.
He acknowledged trusting a freshman with the many duties of his safeties could be an issue, but Knowles also downplayed his concern.
“Of course you worry about freshman mistakes, and back there a mistake is costly,” Knowles said. “So it’s our job to judge his progress. He’s on that path, you know? He’s on that path. And we’ve just got to keep fine-tuning it.”
Listed at 6-foot-2, 194 pounds on the newest roster, Hartford was the No. 1-rated recruit in Ohio last season, a top 100 prospect overall and the No. 5-rated safety in the country.
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