Malik Hartford was a good pickup by the Bruins to help the team continue to build their defense up. He was a four star recruit coming out of high school in 2022 and committed to Ohio State. He was the number five safety in the country and the best in the state of Ohio. Possessing good size at 6’2 and 200 pounds, to be able to body up with tight ends and be able to hit hard. 247sports gave him an analysis that shows he has good acceleration and better than average speed.
UCLA adds former Ohio state safety malik Hartford. The 6'3 200 lb Hartford was the #1 ranked recruit in the state of Ohio coming out of the 2023 class and appeared in 27 games for the buckeyes making 20 tackles.@UCLAFootball #ucla #bruins
— 4's up forever (@JesseGarciasae1) January 14, 2026
🐻🐻🐻🐻 4's up pic.twitter.com/bHDTxAx4C9
This off-season has brought a lot of change for the Bruins. But the change is seen is really good. They have been able to bring in some really good recruits on defense, most notably Sahir West and Sammy Omosigho. This has allowed them the opportunity to try and create more pressure on the quarterback and generate turnovers. Two areas that the Bruins were one of the worst in the country at. Bob Chesney and staff hit the ground running, and they don’t seem to be stopping. As they have brought in 39 transfers
Hartford didn’t play much at Ohio State as he only had 20 tackles and three passes defended in three years. He dropped from a four-star recruit to a three-star transfer. But that doesn’t mean he will not be a valuable piece to UCLA. Ohio State had one of the best defenses in the country over the past few years. That creates a roster crunch and not everybody is going to be able to play. Hartford is bringing experience over to UCLA and will get more of a chance to prove his value.
Caleb Downs has been working at nickel a decent amount over the first couple of practices, allowing two promising young safeties in Malik Hartford and Jaylen McClain to get on the field together.
— Dillon Davis (@DillonDavis56) August 1, 2025
Here’s Ohio State DC Matt Patricia on that concept and why Downs can do it: pic.twitter.com/WNN7yHn7Ox
The Bruins have started to create a good defensive backfield. Rodrick Pleasant, Cole Martin, Tao Johnson, Dante Lovett, and Hartford are a good solid squad back there. There will definitely be more than four interceptions this season. These boys can also hit and are not afraid to tackle. Add in the fact UCLA will get to the quarterback more often and it is an all-around good vibe for the defense.