Malik Hartford Media Availability November 8, 2023
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00:00 He's a great player.
00:01 He's gonna be a great player.
00:03 >> You said you guys really don't have any friends or anything?
00:06 >> Yeah, we didn't talk a lot in Cincinnati, but when we got up here,
00:09 we were roommates.
00:11 We butted heads a little bit.
00:12 But that comes with being, just basic roommate stuff.
00:17 >> Right.
00:17 >> How valuable is getting this quality of playing time?
00:23 Is that just true?
00:25 >> Getting the opportunity to play is a- >> As we just-
00:28 >> It's a great opportunity, but
00:31 I just have to go in there and do my job and play for the team, play for my brothers.
00:35 >> You mentioned the fans, first home game.
00:37 Pretty sure it's an environment you probably never played in before.
00:41 >> Yeah. >> What was the most difficult thing
00:43 about that?
00:44 I guess the most really hard thing to make the transfer, high school, college.
00:47 I mean, you got to be patient so early.
00:49 >> I would say the game speed is a lot different.
00:51 Like being in the game, the players running at you.
00:55 >> Two to four.
00:57 >> They're a lot bigger too.
00:58 I'm a smaller guy, so I have to get used to playing in my body frame and
01:03 being physical.
01:03 And the fans are loud and crazy, I mean, they're the best fans in the world.
01:08 >> They talked about the off season.
01:09 >> Yeah.
01:10 >> [INAUDIBLE] >> Yeah.
01:13 >> You got me.
01:14 What were you when you got here, and what are you right now?
01:17 >> I was like, roommates like 168, but I was really like 170.
01:23 And I worked my way up to like 194, and
01:26 kind of trickled off a little bit to the 190s during the season.
01:30 Yeah, Coach knows I'll stay back.
01:32 >> Very good.
01:33 >> Can you talk about the speed of the game?
01:36 >> No comment.
01:38 >> Can you talk about the speed of the game?
01:39 Can practice get you ready for that game, or
01:40 is something you can get from the player in the game?
01:43 >> Yeah, practice, I'll say practice is definitely harder than the game.
01:47 I mean, we're playing against receivers that are first rounders.
01:52 And it's a lot more physical in practice.
01:56 >> I'm curious about both you and Jermaine.
01:59 You didn't play until you played the ground that you are.
02:06 Where's that come from?
02:09 >> I think that's just tunnel vision.
02:12 Me and Jermaine, we knew we wanted to play.
02:13 We would talk about that late at night in our dorm.
02:16 We were like, we wanna get on that field.
02:18 We came in here and we did that, and we gave ourselves the opportunity to play.
02:22 >> How are the veteran group?
02:24 >> Yeah, we got great players.
02:26 >> Who are some of the veteran guys here who helped you get to where you are now?
02:31 >> In my room specifically, probably Leigh, Prop, I mean, even Sonny.
02:36 Those guys, they've been here before.
02:38 They know the system, and they took me under their wing.
02:41 But the defense as a whole, even some offensive players, they showed me the way.
02:47 >> How excited are you for your first home night game?
02:50 >> I'm excited to see what the environment is.
02:53 I haven't experienced it yet, so we'll see how that goes.
02:56 >> When you say you've worked hard and
02:58 put yourself in position to have that opportunity early,
03:01 what do you think it was that you showed your coaches?
03:03 Was it physical?
03:03 Was it mental and how well you knew the game?
03:06 What do you think caught their eye?
03:08 >> Just buying into the program, doing what's asked of me, and
03:11 doing it at a high level.
03:12 >> Since we haven't talked to you a ton yet,
03:17 when you evaluate your own game and
03:21 what you bring to the second inning,
03:26 what is it you think that you do best that helps you get that opportunity?
03:31 >> I feel like I'm a pretty knowledgeable player.
03:33 But I just do my job cuz Noah puts me in great positions,
03:38 puts the defensive players in great positions.
03:41 And if you do your job the right way, then you make the play.
03:45 >> All right, Leigh, thank you, buddy.