Josh Dooley
Guest
Player to Watch: Malik Hartford should provide crucial safety depth in 2024
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
While Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom are set to be starters for Ohio State, Hartford is one of only two Buckeye safeties with game experience in Jim Knowles’ defense.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
This week on LGHL, it is all (ok, primarily) about featuring, making a case for, or reminding fans about Ohio State Players to Watch. Pretty self-explanatory, right? But far from easy for the staff. At least, it wasn’t for yours truly.
Because there are/were so many options. I mean, I focused solely on football, and OSU has – or presumably will have, come fall – 85 scholarship players from which to choose... And I’m legitimately excited to see more than half of them on the field in 2024. Not just the 22 starters; I’m also excited to see primary backups, freshmen, total wildcards such as Kourt Williams, you name it. So narrowing the list of 40+ down to just one became a difficult task.
I also didn’t want to write about the Buckeyes’ “usual suspects”. Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, J.T. Tuimolau, Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke, Caleb Downs... I could go on and on. However, those guys are stars, and they receive plenty of attention as is. Not that they don’t deserve it, but I just wanted to go in a different direction.
And finally, before I get to my PTW this time around, I must confess that I was prohibited (but not really) from choosing Kenyatta Jackson Jr. I’ve gone to that well about a dozen times since he committed to Ohio State, so I thought it was best to look elsewhere... Even though I own several properties on Kenyatta Island and believe that he will become a super, duper megastar before his time as a Buckeye is done... Just sayin’.
Without further ado, my Player to Watch for 2024 is safety Malik Hartford. And here’s why: Because not only is he a talented, ascending player, but he is also the Buckeyes’ only backup safety with game experience in Jim Knowles’ defense.
On top of that, Hartford surprisingly started OSU’s second game last season, becoming the first true freshman safety to do so since Vonn Bell in 2013. But once he returned to the bench, he basically disappeared until the Michigan game, when he got “lost in the sauce” on arguably the game’s biggest play. So I am fascinated to see how Hartford bounces back and develops as a sophomore.
Now, addressing the Michigan game right off the bat, it should be pointed out that Hartford was essentially thrown feet-first into the fire, despite his early season start against Youngstown State. He hadn’t played significant snaps in weeks and suddenly found himself on the field in a pivotal moment against Ohio State’s biggest rival and the eventual national champion(s). He ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, reacting just a split second too late. I put that more on the coaches than I do Hartford.
As for Hartford’s role in 2024, I expect it to be a rather sizable one. Because although OSU added Downs and retained Lathan Ransom, the safety depth behind those two is lacking. Which makes Hartford a very interesting and very important player to watch.
Health permitting, Downs and Ransom are all but guaranteed to be Knowles’ starting safeties on August 31 against Akron. However, outside of that duo, the rest of the position group is very, very inexperienced. Gone are Josh Proctor, Ja’had Carter, and Sonny Styles (now at linebacker), leaving Hartford as the only other safety to have played a single defensive snap for the Buckeyes last season... A single defensive snap!
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25475959/usa_today_21346440.jpg)
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
So I would be borderline shocked if Hartford is not Ohio State’s third/swing safety for the entirety of the 2024 season. Sure, maybe South Carolina transfer Keenan Nelson Jr. could supplant him eventually, but Knowles and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri need to be able to trust their safeties. And if nothing else, Hartford has earned more of that (trust) via his time and experience in Columbus.
Conversely, one thing working against Hartford is an injury he suffered sometime before spring practice. As a result of said injury, he did not participate in the spring session(s) or the spring game, opening the door for guys like Jayden Bonsu to prove themselves at safety. And Bonsu in particular acquitted himself quite well, putting himself in a position to at least challenge Hartford (and Nelson Jr.) for primary backup reps.
But in the end, I still expect Hartford to be the (third) guy. He was a top-5 safety prospect in the 2023 class, possesses great length, and flashed legitimate playmaking potential in his limited opportunities last season. And as I mentioned earlier, prior to Hartford’s start against YSU, it had been nine years since a true freshman safety started a game for Ohio State. That ain’t nothin’, folks.
So definitely keep an eye on Malik Hartford in 2024. The up-and-coming sophomore safety should play a pivotal role in the Buckeyes’ secondary, and provided he is healthy enough to practice sooner rather than later, I expect him to make a big impact.
Continue reading...
Josh Dooley via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
While Caleb Downs and Lathan Ransom are set to be starters for Ohio State, Hartford is one of only two Buckeye safeties with game experience in Jim Knowles’ defense.
From now until preseason camp starts in August, Land-Grant Holy Land will be writing articles around a different theme every week. This week is all about the Buckeyes we expect to excel this season. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all our “Players to Watch” articles here.
This week on LGHL, it is all (ok, primarily) about featuring, making a case for, or reminding fans about Ohio State Players to Watch. Pretty self-explanatory, right? But far from easy for the staff. At least, it wasn’t for yours truly.
Because there are/were so many options. I mean, I focused solely on football, and OSU has – or presumably will have, come fall – 85 scholarship players from which to choose... And I’m legitimately excited to see more than half of them on the field in 2024. Not just the 22 starters; I’m also excited to see primary backups, freshmen, total wildcards such as Kourt Williams, you name it. So narrowing the list of 40+ down to just one became a difficult task.
I also didn’t want to write about the Buckeyes’ “usual suspects”. Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, J.T. Tuimolau, Jack Sawyer, Denzel Burke, Caleb Downs... I could go on and on. However, those guys are stars, and they receive plenty of attention as is. Not that they don’t deserve it, but I just wanted to go in a different direction.
And finally, before I get to my PTW this time around, I must confess that I was prohibited (but not really) from choosing Kenyatta Jackson Jr. I’ve gone to that well about a dozen times since he committed to Ohio State, so I thought it was best to look elsewhere... Even though I own several properties on Kenyatta Island and believe that he will become a super, duper megastar before his time as a Buckeye is done... Just sayin’.
Without further ado, my Player to Watch for 2024 is safety Malik Hartford. And here’s why: Because not only is he a talented, ascending player, but he is also the Buckeyes’ only backup safety with game experience in Jim Knowles’ defense.
On top of that, Hartford surprisingly started OSU’s second game last season, becoming the first true freshman safety to do so since Vonn Bell in 2013. But once he returned to the bench, he basically disappeared until the Michigan game, when he got “lost in the sauce” on arguably the game’s biggest play. So I am fascinated to see how Hartford bounces back and develops as a sophomore.
Now, addressing the Michigan game right off the bat, it should be pointed out that Hartford was essentially thrown feet-first into the fire, despite his early season start against Youngstown State. He hadn’t played significant snaps in weeks and suddenly found himself on the field in a pivotal moment against Ohio State’s biggest rival and the eventual national champion(s). He ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time, reacting just a split second too late. I put that more on the coaches than I do Hartford.
As for Hartford’s role in 2024, I expect it to be a rather sizable one. Because although OSU added Downs and retained Lathan Ransom, the safety depth behind those two is lacking. Which makes Hartford a very interesting and very important player to watch.
Health permitting, Downs and Ransom are all but guaranteed to be Knowles’ starting safeties on August 31 against Akron. However, outside of that duo, the rest of the position group is very, very inexperienced. Gone are Josh Proctor, Ja’had Carter, and Sonny Styles (now at linebacker), leaving Hartford as the only other safety to have played a single defensive snap for the Buckeyes last season... A single defensive snap!
So I would be borderline shocked if Hartford is not Ohio State’s third/swing safety for the entirety of the 2024 season. Sure, maybe South Carolina transfer Keenan Nelson Jr. could supplant him eventually, but Knowles and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri need to be able to trust their safeties. And if nothing else, Hartford has earned more of that (trust) via his time and experience in Columbus.
Conversely, one thing working against Hartford is an injury he suffered sometime before spring practice. As a result of said injury, he did not participate in the spring session(s) or the spring game, opening the door for guys like Jayden Bonsu to prove themselves at safety. And Bonsu in particular acquitted himself quite well, putting himself in a position to at least challenge Hartford (and Nelson Jr.) for primary backup reps.
But in the end, I still expect Hartford to be the (third) guy. He was a top-5 safety prospect in the 2023 class, possesses great length, and flashed legitimate playmaking potential in his limited opportunities last season. And as I mentioned earlier, prior to Hartford’s start against YSU, it had been nine years since a true freshman safety started a game for Ohio State. That ain’t nothin’, folks.
So definitely keep an eye on Malik Hartford in 2024. The up-and-coming sophomore safety should play a pivotal role in the Buckeyes’ secondary, and provided he is healthy enough to practice sooner rather than later, I expect him to make a big impact.
Continue reading...