A trio of players officially became a part of the Ohio State football “brotherhood” on Friday. Not only did tight end Jelani Thurman and walk-on Chase Brecht receive the honor, but safety Malik Hartford did also.
Hartford committed to the Buckeyes as a four-star prospect rated as the No. 11 safety in the 2023 class according to the 247Sports composite. He has impressed in spring ball and is pushing for playing time consideration as a freshman heading into 2023.
He was happy to be a new member of BIA (Best in America) and had a few words to say during a short ceremony to remove his black stripe.
“First off I want to thank God, want to thank my family. Thank all you guys — appreciate BIA,” Hartford said. “Shout out coach Mick (Maroti) and the strength staff and the nutrition staff for getting me right. Go Bucks.”
🚨 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓 🚨
buckeye nation, we’ve got a new member of BIA. @MalikHartford , welcome to the brotherhood❗️#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/juvFPiIkhg
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) April 7, 2023
As a reminder, we keep track of all of the black stripe removals throughout the year as they happen if you are into that sort of thing. Check back often for that and other spring news.
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