Malik Hartford
Moves between deep coverage and the slot. Played for two head coaches at two programs in four seasons: Ryan Day and Bob Chesney. On tape: 10 tackles against San Diego State, Week 2, 2026.
30 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Moves between deep coverage and the slot — the modern positionless DB.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
30 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 2 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Fans first named Malik Hartford vs Purdue.
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| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | UCLA | 30 | 15 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Ohio State | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | Ohio State | 10 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2 | -- |
| Career | 50 | 25 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 6 | 1 |
Last game (Wk 9): 1 tackle.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
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| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 45-24@ California | 5 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-10vs San Diego State | 10 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 10 tackles |
| Wk 3 | W 52-38vs Purdue | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 54-3@ Maryland | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 17-15@ No. 13 Oregon | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | W 17-7vs Wisconsin | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 28-10vs Michigan State | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 27-0vs Nevada | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 15 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 |
Oct. 31 · W 27-0 vs Nevada, play by play
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 3 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How UCLA’s defense played that day
Nevada’s 11 drives: 11 stopped (4 takeaways) · 0 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 3.
4 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 interception, 1 pass broken up. His interception ended Michigan State’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
Forced a fumble. Second quarter, down 7-0. Ended Michigan State’s drive (fumble).
Intercepted. Fourth quarter, up 28-10. Ended Michigan State’s drive (int).
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
5 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 4 of his 5, sacks included.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
10 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 10, sacks included.
5 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 4 of his 5, sacks included.
Ratings of the games shown run from -9 to +17 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
10%3 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
30tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%2 TFL30 tackles · 2 for loss · 3 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
| Road3g | 4.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 4.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bob Chesney
Pass share
40.8%
218 pass / 316 run
Plays / game
66.8
8 games
Team sack rate
4.6%
241 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Former four-star. Now #198 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 23 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
2 coachesPlayed for 2 head coaches at 2 schools: Ryan Day and Bob Chesney.
Next stop · Transfer
Transferred to UCLA
CBS Sports College Football
