UGA Football DB Malaki Starks Drafted No. 27 Overall by the Ravens in the 2025 NFL Draft
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ATHENS - Once again, the Georgia Bulldogs produce a 1st-round defensive back in the NFL.
This time it’s safety Malaki Starks who joins the prestigious list as he’s selected by the Ravens with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Starks came to Athens as a five-star prospect out of nearby Jefferson High School and made an immediate impact, picking off a pass from Bo Nix in his very first collegiate game to kick off the 2022 season. Starks was a starter at Georgia from the very beginning and left as one of the more decorated defensive backs in the Kirby Smart era.
The playmaking safety helped lead the Bulldogs to a national championship in 2022 and was a key member of the Bulldog defense throughout his career. As a junior last season, Starks was a Jim Thorpe finalist, given annually to the best defensive back in college football.
The instinctive, sure-tackling safety made 197 tackles during his three-year career in Athens with 5.5 TFLs, six INTs and 23 more pass-breakups.
Starks was a 2023 Consensus First-Team All-American and an AP Second-Team All-American in 2024.
2024: AFCA and FWAA All-America First Team honoree...named Second Team All-American by the AP, the Athletic, ESPN, CBS, USA Today and Walter Camp...AP First Team All-SEC selection...named Coaches Second Team All-SEC...Jim Thorpe Award Finalist...Bednarik Award Semifinalist...has started all 13 games for the Bulldogs this season...led the Bulldog defense with 77 tackles on the season, including four for a loss of 12 yards...tied his career high with 10 tackles against Georgia Tech in regular season finale...credited with a pair of solo stops and grabbed a diving interception in the Aflac Kickoff Game win against Clemson...named Jim Thorpe Award National DB of the Week for his performance against Clemson...tallied a team-high eight tackles, including four solo stops, in the SEC opener win over Kentucky...had eight tackles, including two for a loss of 10 yards against Alabama...posted a team-leading seven tackles, all solo stops, and a QB pressure in win over Mississippi State...led the team in tackles with seven stops, including one for a loss of a yard, in win over Texas...posted a team-leading eight tackles, seven of which were solo stops, in SEC Championship win over Texas...credited with four solo tackles in College Football Playoff Allstate Sugar Bowl Semifinal game against Notre Dame...The Athletic Midseason All-America Second Team and Senior Bowl Midseason All-America Team...named to the AP Preseason All-SEC, Coaches Preseason All-SEC, AP Preseason All-America, Walter Camp Preseason All-America and USA Today Preseason All-America first teams...ESPN Preseason All-America Team...Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee...Sporting News Preseason All-America Second Team...named to Senior Bowl, Jim Thorpe, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Walter Camp Player of the Year, Wuerffel Trophy, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award watch lists.
2023: First Team All-American by AFCA, AP, CBS, ESPN, FWAA, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Walter Camp...Second Team by Fox Sports and The Athletic...AP and Coaches All-SEC First Team selection...finalist for Bronko Nagurski Award and Jim Thorpe Award...semifinalist for Bednarik and Jim Thorpe Awards...named to Midseason All-America Team by AP, CBS, ESPN, Sporting News and the Athletic...named to Preseason Media Days All-SEC First Team...Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List selection...selected to AP Preseason All-America First Team...started in every contest at DB…finished the season with 52 tackles, including 31 solo stops…notched three interceptions for 47 combined return yards with seven pass breakups...led the team with eight tackles and a pass breakup in season-opening win over UT Martin...grabbed one of Georgia’s three interceptions in win over Ball State...tallied three pass breakups in conference opener against South Carolina...posted five tackles, including four solo stops, with an interception and return of 21 yards to end Auburn’s final drive of the game in first road win of the season...had a team-high five tackles, including four solo stops, in win over Kentucky...notched four tackles, including three solo stops, in road win over Florida in Jacksonville, Fla...had seven tackles in final regular-season win over Georgia Tech...one of two Bulldogs to post a team-leading eight tackles, including six solo stops, in the SEC Championship game against Alabama...snatched an interception with a 26-yard return and one tackle in the Capital One Orange Bowl win over Florida State.
2022: Finalist for the 2022 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award...First Team Freshman All-America by The Athletic...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.