Ohio State transfer safety Malik Hartford has committed to UCLA.
Hartford spent three years with the Buckeyes, playing in backup role as a freshman and sophomore but then suffering an injury this season which sidelined him for all but four games. He was able to gain a redshirt from this year, so he’ll have two more seasons of eligibility.
In those three seasons with the Buckeyes, he amassed 20 tackles and three passes defended.
Hartford was very highly regarded out of high school, rated a four-star with a 96 rating, ranking him as the No. 69 overall player and the No. 5 safety in the country. The 6’2, 200-pounder didn’t have it come together at Ohio State, and he’s now a three-star transfer and rated an 86.
UCLA has already added quite a bit in the safety room out of the Portal, including Iowa State safety Ta’Shawn James and Utah safety Tao Johnson, not to mention retaining Scooter Jackson and Cole Martin, so there figures to be some fierce competition for playing time there.