5-Star Phenom Malaki Starks Sets Commitment Date
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ATHENS - 5-star athlete Malaki Starks has set his decision date to make his pick between the Georgia Bulldogs, Clemson Tigers and Alabama Crimson Tide.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart has made the local product a major priority for the Bulldogs’ 2022 recruiting class. Starks will make his annoucement on Thursday, March 25.
“Georgia makes me feel like I’m priority. I don’t feel like just another recruit when I go there. I feel like I belong there,” Starks told Dawg Post in an interview when asked about his three favorite schools.
One of the top prospects in the country, Starks is Jefferson’s quarterback and is the team’s top defender. He says that has been to Georgia more than any other school, but he’s also very interested in both Alabama and Clemson.
“Alabama. They just know how to win,” he said. “I’m real big on helping people—and that’s all I see at Clemson. They help people. They have a great facility. Everybody there is pretty fun.They have a slide in there. I’ve never seen that before.”
Starks said his favorite player is former UGA running back Todd Gurley.
“I played running back and wanted to be like him, Starks said. “And then he got the injury, and I saw how he bounced back. He is one of my favorite players.”
The rising senior said he’s glad to have the ability he has as an athlete. It is something he takes seriously.
“The Lord blessed me with a lot of abilities, but he also blessed me with a great work ethic that I take very seriously,” he said. “I’m from Jefferson. But people like me, young black athletes - we don’t really make it out of Jefferson. I know plenty of athletes that could be somewhere doing something. I’m not saying they could be in the league, but they could be doing something successful to help them and their families. They just normally don’t make it out. So I feel it’s not where you start - it’s about how you finish. So I feel like me, being the person I am, people look at me and say ‘If you can do it - I can do it.’”
What he will do on March 25, 2021 is what Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney and Nick Saban want to know.