Malik Hartford, - Prep Redzone

Malik Hartford

Athlete

2023 Class

6'2" Height

175 Weight

Lakota East School

State
Position

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About Malik

Malik Hartford is a 6'2" Athlete in the 2023 class. Hartford attends Lakota East in Ohio. Hartford's Player Profile was created on November 4, 2021. Subscribe to Prep Redzone to see where Malik Hartford is ranked and what our scouts have written about them.

Expert Analysis

Malik

Hartford ATH

Class

2023

Height

6'2"

Weight

175

HS

Lakota East

|

OH

Malik Hartford

Back in 2021 I was at a Lakota West scrimmage versus Cincinnati Elder. As I was watching the...

Written by Jared Luginbill

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Jared Luginbill

Prep Redzone Lead Scout

Back in 2021 I was at a Lakota West scrimmage versus Cincinnati Elder. As I was watching the likes of current Buckeye Jyaire Brown and current Kentucky Wildcat Alex Afari in the West’s defensive backfield, I noticed a long athletic player flying around to the ball. Not having a roster handy, I immediately found someone on the sidelines and asked, who’s number 9? Malik Hartford Malik Hartford 6'2" | 175 lbs | ATH Lakota East | 2023 State OH , they replied. That was the first time I had seen Malik play. He was a little raw at that point, but it was easy to see then that Malik was a very talented football player. At 6’3 180 pounds Hartford boasts great length for a defensive back and a good frame that he’ll be able to add good weight and strength too. Like Mathews Hartford is very good in space. He sees the field well and has a fierce break on the ball. He has good hands and ball skills. Where, I think Malik excels is in run defense and defending the underneath passing game. He flies around like a heat seeking missile. As he continues to add weight and strength, I think he’s going to turn into the perfect box safety. A safety who can cover running backs, tight ends, and slots but also can come up and lay the wood in the run game. Receivers best have their heads on a swivel when Malik is in the neighborhood. One of the things that really impressed me about Malik was when I saw him snapping for punts in pregame before the Firebirds playoff game versus Princeton. Here’s a kid who’s going to play defensive back at Ohio State and yet he wasn’t above doing what it took to help his team win ball games. That speaks volumes about Hartford’s character.