UGA Football Star Malaki Starks: "You Have No Choice But To Learn"
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ATHENS - Kirby Smart and the UGA Football team have one of the top secondary units in college football heading into the 2023 season.
Three returning starters, including cornerback Kamari Lassiter, safety Javon Bullard, and safety Malaki Starks, headline a very talented group that will hope to lead Georgia to a possible “three-peat” this fall.
Bullard ended the season as well as any Bulldog defender on the roster, but Malaki Starks also turned heads last year. Just a true freshman in 2022, the talented safety native started all 15 games for the Bulldogs, ending the season with 68 tackles and two interceptions.
The 6-foot-1 205-pounder was named to the Preseason Media Days All-SEC First Team along with a Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List selection. The Jefferson, Georgia native was also selected to the AP Preseason All-America First Team.
He’s bound for a gigantic sophomore season with All-American potential. Earlier this week he spoke with reporters about playing with Javon Bullard, learning from Christopher Smith, what he’s improved on, the Bulldog wide receivers, and much more.
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On where he has improved his game...
"I would say recognizing formations and just really diving in and learning football. Being here with Coach Schumann, Coach Muschamp and Coach Smart, you have no choice but to learn football. So, I would say just understanding the game of football better. I focused on every aspect I could work on - footwork, recognizing defenses and offenses, trying to communicate better. Really just everything because you can always improve on something, so I have been trying to take every aspect of my game and bump it up."
On competing against the receivers on the team...
"I think we can be as explosive as we want to be. We definitely have the talent. We have the leaders to do it, and I think that is huge. It's a great group of guys, like I said, the best in the country. Going against the is only making me better, the secondary better, and the whole defense as a group, the whole offense as a group. To be here you have to be very competitive. It's not easy. Like I said, you're going against the best people in the country every day. That group of guys - it's crazy. There's so much talent, so much depth. They're all good at different things. There is not one person in this room that can do anything to shock anybody. I'm very blessed to be here an compete with these guys."
On where things have clicked for him during fall camp...
"I had some [moments where things clicked for him] in spring, too. And that goes back to just really trying to dive in and learn every day. Find something to get better at. The guys around me hold be accountable - Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith. Me and Bull do this thing where we write down three things that we need to work on every day. We watch each other, and we try to hold each other accountable. Just seeing and going back to film to see something I did; I wouldn't have got that last year or a few months ago. I can really say that I am trying to trust the process and dive into it."
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2023:
Named to Preseason Media Days All-SEC First Team...Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List selection...Selected to AP Preseason All-America First Team.
2022:
Finalist for the 2022 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award...has started at DB in 14 of 15 games...third on team in tackles with 68 total stops...also leads the Bulldogs in pass breakups with seven and has two interceptions...saw action as a reserve DB in season-opening win over No. 11 Oregon...had his first collegiate starting assignment at DB in win over Samford...had another interception in first quarter of win at South Carolina...six tackles and a pass breakup in win over Kent State...two tackles and a pass breakup (near interception) in win over Auburn...five tackles and a pass breakup in win over Florida...team-high 10 tackles and a pass breakup in win over Tennessee...also team-high eight tackles in win at Mississippi State...eight tackles and a pass breakup in win at Kentucky...had a team-high eight total tackles and his first career interception in the game...credited four tackles with a QB hurry in CFP Semifinal Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Ohio State...had one tackle in win over TCU in CFP National Championship Game...named to mid-season Freshman All-America teams by The Athletic, Yahoo and On3.