UGA Football DB Malaki Starks Named Jim Thorpe Award Finalist

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ATHENS, Ga. --- UGA football sophomore safety Malaki Starks has been named one of three finalists for the 2023 Paycom Jim Thorpe Award given annually to the nation’s best defensive back in college football, according to an announcement from the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association Tuesday.

Starks, a native of Jefferson, Ga., joins Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Air Force’s Trey Taylor as this year’s finalists.  Starks is already a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is given to the nation’s top defender.

The announcement of the 2023 Thorpe Award winner is scheduled to be made on Dec. 8 during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.  The formal presentation of the award will take place Feb. 6, 2024, at the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Former Bulldog All-American and current New York Giants defensive back Deandre Baker won the 2018 Thorpe Award and another All-American defensive back, J. R. Reed was a finalist a year later in 2019.  The only other finalist in Georgia history was Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey in 1998.

Starks is the team’s fourth-leading tackler with 43 stops this season having started all 12 games.  He has two interceptions and has played a pivotal role in the Bulldogs taking the No. 4 spot nationally on third down conversion defense (27 percent).  Starks and the Georgia defense lead the Southeastern Conference and are ranked fifth nationally giving up just 15.1 points per game.

No. 1 Georgia (12-0, 8-0 SEC) starts the postseason in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium versus No. 8 Alabama (11-1, 8-0 SEC) on Saturday.  CBS will televise the matchup at 4 p.m.

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