Malik Hartford

Malik Hartford is an American college football safety. He plays for the UCLA Bruins. He formerly played for the Ohio State [Buckeyes football|Ohio State Buckeyes].

Early life

Hartford attended Lakota West High School in West [Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio|West Chester, Ohio]. As a senior, he notched 43 tackles with four being for a loss, two interceptions, and one defensive touchdown. Hartford committed to play college football at Ohio State.

Hartford entered spring workouts with the Buckeyes weighing 169 pounds but bulked his weight up to over 190 pounds. During the spring and summer, he competed for a starting safety role. Hartford got his first career start in week 2 of the 2023 season versus 2023 [Youngstown State Penguins football team|Youngstown State]. In week 10 versus 2023 [Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team|Rutgers], he notched a tackle and a pass deflection.
At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Hartford entered the transfer portal after missing the majority of his junior season with a shoulder injury.