Why won't this rude guy leave me alone? He claims he likes me, but…

I hope this isn’t too lengthy, but I’m just confused and don’t know what to do because the situation has been getting out of hand and I can tell it’s really frustrating my boyfriend as well. He and I go to the same college, and we were actually in the same high school too. Back then, we always had this stupid bantering back and forth dynamic which thankfully we grew out of because now we’re together and I like him ALOT.

Anyways, I met this guy in one of my lectures who I was paired up with for a project. He really wasn’t nice at all, and a bit standoffish not just to me but everyone. However, we have some mutuals and I guess he found out who my boyfriend was and it turns out they knew each other since childhood. (not the same one I went to with my bf). They used to be my friends as kids, but now they don’t like each other for whatever reason as my boyfriend says. This is when things got weird because this guy started to bother me and has been since mid September. He would make comments about me in front of other people, during group projects, so much that I asked for a partner change from our professor. I thought that would make him take the hint and leave me the f alone but it just kept coming. Like he would block me while I was walking, trip me and then catch my arm, even in the dining halls during the few times he’s caught me sitting alone he took my tray forcing me to go sit with him instead. He even did these things in front of my boyfriend sometimes which really pissed him off.

I was convinced that he kept doing this crap to me because he hates my boyfriend and wanted to get a reaction outta him. Until this past weekend he said something to both of us that made my bf really mad. He said something like, “Tell Kayla I like her because she doesn’t believe when I tell her, but she will if you do.” This was right in front of me and I was just baffled. I still am. Like yeah, he would say things like he only forces me to eat with him because he likes having me around, but I chalked that up to a load of bull. To me, all he’s done is try and bully me. My bf keeps trying to protect me and atp, never lets me outta his sight but I don’t know how to get this guy to go away or what his deal is. He’s making our relationship difficult for no reason just so he can try to get a rise out of a guy he hates. I’m really at loss of how to diffuse this situation.