Is Malcolm Hartzog playing today? Injury updates for Nebraska’s defensive back

Husker defensive back Malcolm Hartzog is dealing with a hamstring injury. Here are the latest updates.

This story was updated to add new information.

Nebraska football will be licking their wounds with a key player limited for Saturday’s game against the UCLA Bruins. Defensive back Malcolm Hartzog is expected to try and play

Hartzog has recorded 27 tackles on the season. His limitations is certainly notable, given his impact in the secondary this season. If there is any silver lining, it’s that the Bruins rank at the bottom of the Big Ten with 302.1 passing yards per game. This is certainly positive news for a battered secondary.

Malcolm Hartzog injury update

Hartzog is dealing with a hamstring injury he sustained in the Huskers’ loss to Ohio State last Saturday. Head coach Matt Rhule said that the defensive back was trying to rehab so he could play this weekend but was not optimistic on Thursday.

“We’re beat up. We don’t have Malcolm (Hartzog)… Malcolm is doing his best to get back, but I don’t think that he will. We’ll be counting on some other guys.”

How long will Malcolm Hartzog be out?

Given the fact that Hartzog is trying to play this weekend, the hope is that the injury will only linger for a week or two

Nebraska Defensive Backs depth chart

Hartzog may not be the only Husker in the secondary who’s hurting during Saturday’s game. Head coach Matt Rhule mentioned that Tommi Hill will try to play through his ongoing issues with plantar fasciitis. It appears that Jeremiah Charles will be thrust into a starting role against the Bruins.

“We’re planning on Jeremiah starting, he’s a tremendous athlete. He’s had to play in some serious situations, he has the benefit of going against two of the best wideouts in the league last week. He should be very confident, he goes against those guys and does a good job. Probably not many guys as fast as him.”

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.

Nebraska Football Countdown to Kickoff: No. 7 Malcolm Hartzog Jr.

The countdown until August 31 is down to seven days.

The start of the 2024 season for the Nebraska Cornhuskers is officially just a week away. With seven days remaining Huskers junior defensive back Malcom Hartzog Jr is today’s featured Husker.

The Silver Creek, Mississippi native is entering his third season with the program and has been a regular for the Huskers through his first two seasons, playing in all 24 games including making 18 starts.

The versatile defensive back can play both cornerback and safety, starting seven games at corner and three at safety a year ago. In those 12 games and 10 starts in 2023, Hartzog Jr set a career high for tackles with 40 and also had 1.5 tackles for loss and six pass breakups. In his 24 career games played, he has 62 career tackles including 38 solo tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.

This fall, Hartzog is expected to be the Huskers starting safety, starting alongside strong safety DeShon Singleton.

Hartzog and the Huskerswill kickoff their season next Saturday, August 31 at 11:00 a.m. central time against the University of Texas – El Paso Miners.

Contact/Follow us @CornhuskersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes, and opinions.