College Football HQ

Ohio State football recruiting: 4-star safety Malik Hartford pledges to Buckeyes

Ohio State added an important piece on defense to its 2023 recruiting class.

James Parks

Ohio State football recruiting: 4-star safety Malik Hartford pledges to Buckeyes
Ohio State football recruiting: 4-star safety Malik Hartford pledges to Buckeyes /

Ohio State came into the 2023 football recruiting cycle looking for pieces to add on defense, and it has after 4-star defensive back Malik Hartford announced he committed to the Buckeyes.

Hartford, a junior at Lakota West High in West Chester, Ohio, chose Ohio State over a series of other offers from Power Five schools.

With the addition of Hartford, Ohio State moved to No. 6 overall in the latest college football recruiting rankings, according to 247Sports. OSU owns the elite ranking despite having just six commitments so far in the process.

Scenes before a college football game at Ohio State in the Big Ten.

Hartford is also the fourth Ohio player to sign with the Buckeyes, alongside Will Smith, Joshua Padilla, and Luke Montgomery.

Analysts rate Malik Hartford as a top 10 safety and top 100 player nationally.

Defensive back figures to be an area of interest for Ohio State after it ranked No. 97 in college football a year ago against the pass. Its secondary was instrumental in a pair of consequential losses against Oregon and Michigan in 2021, and the Buckeyes' defensive unit as a whole failed to compliment the team's No. 1 nationally-ranked offense.

Jim Knowles is entering Year 1 as Ohio State's defensive coordinator, a year after coaching Oklahoma State's defense to a No. 3 national ranking.

Ohio State football 2023 recruiting class

Luke Montgomery
4-star OT | 6-5, 270 | Findlay, Ohio

Ty Lockwood
4-star TE | 6-5, 225 | Thompson's Station, Tenn.

Joshua Padilla
4-star IOL | 6-4, 265 | Dayton, Ohio

Malik Hartford
4-star DB | 6-2, 175 | West Chester, Ohio

Cedrick Hawkins
4-star DB | 6-0, 175 | Cocoa, Fla.

Will Smith
3-star DL | 6-3, 260 | Dublin, Ohio

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James Parks
JAMES PARKS

James Parks is the founder and publisher of College Football HQ. He previously covered football for 247Sports and CBS Interactive. College Football HQ joined the Sports Illustrated Fannation Network in 2022.

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