Malcolm Hartzog was the hero of the day in Nebraska’s season opener last year; now the Arizona Wildcats are hoping he’ll be the hero of the season for their secondary.
Hartzog’s interception of Brendan Sorsby in the Huskers’ game against Cincinnati at Arrowhead Stadium sealed the victory. Unfortunately, he spent most of the rest of the season banged up and transferred to the Big 12 squad this offseason. Now The Athletic’s Antonio Morales believes the defensive back could be the best newcomer for Arizona this season.
Nebraska football transfer Malcolm Hartzog brings 34 career starts to rebuilt Arizona defense
“The Wildcats needed an influx of talent and experience on the back end after having four defensive backs drafted in April,” Morales wrote. “Hartzog started 34 career games at Nebraska and picked off four passes in his last full season (2024).”
Morales isn’t the only one who thinks the former Nebraska football star could be a big asset for the Wildcats. It looks like the team believes he could step into the shoes of some very good players. Granted, the Big 12 team cast a wide net because of the roster hits it took as guys ran out of eligibility.
Hartzog was one of eight defensive backs the Wildcats added in the transfer portal earlier this year to fill roster spots for a defensive secondary that lost five starters, all currently in NFL training camps. Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson and Genesis Smith were selected in the first five rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Hartzog also joins a team that is trying to replace a unit that finished seventh in college football in passing defense and first in turnover margin. The secondary is also trying to replace guys who had a ton of time on the field, and that’s why Arizona wanted to try and bring in as much talent as possible.
Despite the former Nebraska star missing a great deal of the regular season last year, he’s healthy and ready to go. He’s also bringing what analysts call a “bulldog” mentality to the Big 12.
“Coming in to replace those guys, it’s going to be a lot,” Hartzog told the Arizona Daily Star. “But I’m ready for the challenge. Those guys, what they did here, they were pretty good. They were together for so many years and grew a relationship together. Me seeing that, knowing how they did it, it pushes me to want to overcome the stuff they did and push me to be on that level.”
Even though Malcolm Hartzog Jr. played in just the first two games of the 2025 campaign before undergoing season-ending surgery, he was a big loss for a Nebraska football defense that is trying to rebuild after John Butler’s firing. In those two games, he recorded one tackle, one pass breakup, and that one massive interception in his limited action.
In 2024, the versatile defensive back earned an honorable-mention All-Big Ten selection and started 12 games, with seven starts at safety and five at cornerback. He led Nebraska with four interceptions - the most by a Husker since the 2015 season - while totaling a career-high 45 tackles with 2.0 tackles for loss and four pass breakups.
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