Ohio State Buckeyes: Growth of Lakota West frosh impressing coaches, teammates

Listed at 6-foot-2, 194 pounds on the newest roster, Hartfard was the No. 1-rated recruit in Ohio last season, a top 100 prospect overall and the No. 5-rated safety in the country.

Weight might have been his only issue upon arriving in Columbus, but he wasted no time addressing it from all indications.

“From day one when we went into his house in recruiting, we knew he was always talented and he would strike you,” safeties coach Perry Eliano said. “But I think what he’s done with our nutrition our string staff as far as the gains he was able to put on throughout the summer, that’s been nothing short of amazing.

“That’s a credit to the young man’s maturity, so I’m excited about that.”

Like any freshman, Hartford looks like a long shot to break into the starting lineup right away.

Ohio State returns starter Lathan Ransom at the ‘Bandit’ boundary safety position while Syracuse transfer Ja’Had Carter and sophomore Sonny Styles slotted into the other two spots when preseason practice began.

He also has senior Josh Proctor, sophomore Kye Stokes and junior Cam Martinez — among others — to contend with, but Eliano did not rule anything out this week.

“You know, he’s part of the matrix,” Eliano said. “He’s having a really good camp to this point. He’s continually growing, obviously came in January so he’s ahead of the curve than some of the freshmen who came in the summer, but he’s having a good camp to this point.”

Knowles’ defense relies heavily on the safeties not only to be the last line of defense but make multiple decisions during the course of the play.

That allows the front six to play more aggressively, but it can come at a cost — as demonstrated late last season when big plays broke the Buckeyes in losses to Michigan and Georgia.

So the coaching staff values decision-making in its safeties, and they see Hartford as having what it takes.

“He and Sonny are similar,” Eliano said. “He can process the game. He sees the game differently. He’s extremely smart. He’s got a high football IQ, so it doesn’t surprise me because he did the same thing when he was in high school. So I’m looking for him to continue to grow.”