Malaki Starks – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Five Georgia Bulldogs named to All-SEC preseason defense

Five Georgia players as well as two former Bulldogs were selected as preseason all-SEC players, including three on the first team.

With the conclusion of SEC Media Days, the official All-SEC preseason teams as voted on by members of the media were released on Friday morning. Among the players selected to the defensive team are five Georgia Bulldogs’ players, down from eight a season ago.

Three Bulldogs were selected for the first-team, giving Georgia a total of six first team selections, which is the highest among SEC teams. Defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse was one of four defensive linemen chosen, alongside Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr., Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen, and Kentucky’s Deone Walker. At linebacker, Mykel Williams joined LSU’s Harold Perkins, Oklahoma’s Danny Stutsman, and Alabama’s Deontae Lawson. Rounding out the Bulldogs’ first team selections was superstar safety Malaki Starks, joining Alabama’s Malachi Moore at the position.

Linebacker Smael Mondon was the lone Bulldog defender on the second team, while cornerback Daylen Everette was selected for the third team. Two former Bulldog players were also included, with LSU safety Major Burns and Kentucky linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson making the second and third team, respectively. Punter Brett Thorson was also selected to the second team on special teams.

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Overall, the Bulldogs had 15 players across the all-conference selections, coming in second only to Alabama with 16.

Six Georgia Bulldogs rated as top 100 players by EA in new video game

Six Georgia Bulldogs were included in EA Sports’ College Football 25 top 100 players.

With the release of EA Sports’ College Football 25 just over a week away, the latest preview of the game has been released in the form of the 100 highest player ratings. Two Georgia players were included in the top ten, and six made the list overall.

Safety Malaki Starks was the highest rated Bulldog player, ranking seventh overall and second amongst safeties to only Ohio State’s Caleb Downs. Guard Tate Ratledge was the second Georgia player to make the top ten, ranking tenth and second overall amongst offensive linemen to only LSU’s Will Campbell. Both players were listed as 95 overall, with the highest rating given being a 96.

Quarterback Carson Beck ranked 18th at a 93 overall, one spot behind Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as the second rated quarterback in the game. Outside linebacker Mykel Williams came in at No. 20 at a 93 overall rating and ranked number two behind only Clemson’s Barrett Carter in terms of outside linebackers.

Rounding out the list for Georgia were left guard Dylan Fairchild, rated a 91 overall and 48th on the list, and tight end Oscar Delp, a 90 overall and the 99th ranked player. Notable omissions from the top 100 include linebacker Smael Mondon, running back Trevor Etienne, and defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse.

College Football 25 is set to be released on July 19, when all player ratings will be available.

Eagles add an All-American safety in ESPN’s early 2025 mock draft

Matt Miller released an early 2025 NFL mock draft for ESPN and the Philadelphia Eagles landed Georgia safety Malaki Starks in Round 1

The Eagles have a loaded squad with Super Bowl aspirations, but it’s never too early for a look ahead to the 2025 NFL draft.

Philadelphia reloaded in the secondary this past April, selecting Quinyon Mitchell (CB) and Cooper DeJean (CB) with their first two picks. ESPN’s Matt Miller just revealed his first mock draft for 2025, and he has the Eagles landing a game-changing defender out of Georgia.

28. Philadelphia Eagles
Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Make your jokes about Philadelphia drafting a defender from Georgia, but Starks would fill a big hole for the 2025 Eagles. He was a consensus first-team All-American in 2023 after grabbing three interceptions and making 52 tackles. And Starks is a do-it-all safety who has experience playing press coverage in the slot. You’re going to hear comparisons to Kyle Hamilton, and they’re warranted given his three-down impact.

If Starks is the next Kyle Hamilton, Philadelphia will have decisions to make and elite depth at the position, with Reed Blankenship, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Sydney Brown already under contract.

Vic Fangio’s versatile defense could allow the Eagles to play three safeties, similar to the Ravens, allowing them to have their five or six best defensive backs on the field at one time.

Steelers land elite safety in new 2025 NFL mock draft

It is never too soon to start thinking about the 2025 NFL draft. Our friends over at Touchdown Wire agree. They have a new one-round mock draft out and you know we had to give it a look. They have the Pittsburgh Steelers picking No. 14 overall which falls in line with what most mock drafts are going at this point. No one is sure what is going to happen with this new-look Steelers offense.

For the pick, TD Wire opted for Georgia safety Malaki Starks. Here’s what they had to say about the pick:

The Steelers already have one great multi-position safety in Minkah Fitzpatrick, but you can never have too many of those types of players in your defense. So, as Mike Tomlin’s team looks to rebuild its secondary with Fitzpatrick and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. as the tentpoles, let’s give them Georgia safety Malaki Starks. Last season, Starks gave up 18 catches on 35 targets for 200 yards, 86 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, three interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 61.6. Moreover, Starks did his thing everywhere from free to box to slot, which is what you find from more and more collegiate safeties these days.

Starks is an amazing player with his strength in coverage being a huge bonus for the Steelers. There are a couple of spots right now where the Steelers could eye a playmaker in the first round and free safety is definitely one of them. Looking at this mock, the only other name I might want more who went after Starks is Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter who went one pick later.

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Georgia S Malaki Starks a popular pick for Colts in way-too-early 2025 mock drafts

Georgia safety Malaki Starks is a popular pick for the Indianapolis Colts in several way-too-early 2025 NFL mock drafts.

Is it too early to try to be honing in on who the Colts could select in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft? Of course it is. But the mock draft machine never stops, and a popular name that keeps appearing for the Colts is Georgia safety Malaki Starks.

Listed at 6-1 – 205 pounds, Starks is a very good athlete and would bring a well-rounded skill set to the safety position for the Colts. In two seasons at Georgia, Starks has primarily lined up as a free safety but has 329 snaps in the box and 393 from the slot as well.

Over that two-year span, Starks has been an excellent tackler, missing only eight of his 130 attempts. He’s an ascending player and saw improved play across the board during his sophomore season.

Starks went from allowing a completion rate of 61 percent to just 51 percent this past year. He allowed just 11.1 yards per catch compared to 16.9, had increased ball production, and his passer rating when targeted plummeted to 61.6. Starks also graded out as one of the best run defenders by PFF’s metrics as well.

For more on Starks’ game, here is what PFF had to say:

“He is an outstanding run defender, tackler and coverage player who also boasts elite athleticism for the position. Starks ranked in the top 10 among Power Five safeties in both forced incompletions (tied for sixth) and run-defense grade (seventh) in 2023.”

Safety very well could be a top need for the Colts during next year’s draft. One could easily argue it was a big need this year after inconsistent play and too many big plays were surrendered on the back end in 2023.

Julian Blackmon will again be a free agent next offseason, adding to the uncertainty, not to mention that there are current question marks around what to expect from Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas this season, one of whom will be Blackmon’s running mate.

In the mock drafts that have the Colts picking Starks, Indianapolis is selecting in the mid-teens, just as they did this past April.

Of course, a lot will change over the next 10 months: players will fall, players will rise, and team needs will be adjusted. However, as we inch closer to the college football season, it makes sense to keep an eye on Starks, given his play and the potential need the Colts could have.

Four Bulldogs players selected in USA TODAY 2025 mock draft

Multiple Georgia Bulldogs players are expected to come off the board in 2025 a way-too-early NFL mock draft

As NFL draft season has reached its conclusion, various outlets have begun publishing way to early mock drafts for next year. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA TODAY recently published an early model of what next year could look like, including four Georgia players going in round one.

First off the board for the Dawgs was quarterback Carson Beck, projected to go first overall to the New York Giants. Beck had a great season for the Dawgs a year ago and seems poised to take the next step this year en route to possibly placing himself atop a class that should also feature Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Texas‘ Quinn Ewers.

Next off the board are back to back picks from UGA in safety Malaki Starks at No. 14 to the Colts and edge rusher Mykel Williams at No. 15 to the Jaguars. Starks is widely seen as the best safety in the country heading into this season while Williams is seeking to have a breakout season as he transitions fully to the edge rusher role for Georgia.

The final Bulldog off the board is left tackle Earnest Greene, projected to go 25th overall to the Cleveland Browns. Greene is in his second year as a full-time starter and seeking to follow in the footsteps of Andrew Thomas and Amarius Mims in being selected in the opening round.

Malaki Starks given high marks in preseason defensive back rankings

Malaki Starks is limited for spring practice, but should have a big fall

Coming off of consensus All-American recognition in 2023, expectations could not be higher for Georgia safety Malaki Starks headed into 2024. As Starks prepares for his third and potentially final season in the red and black, multiple outlets have ranked him near or at the top of their defensive back rankings looking ahead to the 2024 season.

In ESPN’s ranking of the top returning defensive backs for the upcoming season, Starks was ranked first, trailed by Colorado’s Travis Hunter. He tied for the highest number of points based on the voting from the participating ESPN reporters, and received the top spot based on having more first place votes than Hunter.

Pro Football Focus also released their list of top graded safeties based on last season, with Starks being ranked second to Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. PFF described Starks as “an elite athlete who’s a standout run defender and tackler for the position while also consistently making plays in coverage.”

Starks is limited this spring after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Two Georgia Bulldogs make USA TODAY Sports All-America team

Pair of Georgia Bulldogs make the USA TODAY Sports college football All-America team

Two Georgia Bulldogs have made the USA TODAY Sports college football All-America team for the 2023 season. Georgia star safety Malaki Starks and tight end Brock Bowers both made the first-team All-America team.

Starks came up with a clutch interception to seal Georgia’s road win at Auburn. The sophomore safety is a top reason why the Georgia defense rarely yielded big plays throughout the 2023 college football season. Starks is expected to return for another season with the Bulldogs.

Starks intercepted two passes, recorded 51 tackles, and has seven pass deflections entering the Orange Bowl against Florida State.

Georgia junior tight end Brock Bowers fought through an ankle injury during the second half of the season. The star tight end suffered a high ankle sprain in the Vanderbilt game. Bowers came up clutch as well against Auburn.

Bowers, who is arguably the best college tight end of all time, is likely heading to the 2024 NFL draft, but he is yet to announce his draft decision. Bowers bravely battled through the pain in the SEC championship game against Alabama.

Bowers has 56 receptions for 714 yards and seven total touchdowns this season. His status for the Orange Bowl is currently unclear.

Georgia DB Malaki Starks named Jim Thorpe Award finalist

Georgia football DB Malaki Starks named Jim Thorpe Award finalist

Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks is one of three finalists for the 2023 Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation’s top defensive back.

Other finalists include Iowa’s Cooper DeJean and Air Force’s Trey Taylor.

Starks has totaled 43 tackles, six pass breakups and two interceptions this year as one of the leaders of a stout Georgia secondary. Georgia’s defense is preparing to face Jalen Milroe and Alabama in the SEC championship game.

Starks earned Freshman All-American honors last season after racking up 68 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups and two interceptions.

The former five-star prospect and Jefferson, Georgia, native has yet to miss a single game in a Bulldogs uniform. He would become UGA’s second Jim Thorpe Award winner after Deandre Baker in 2018.

The winner will be announced on Dec. 8 during The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.

Georgia DB Malaki Starks talks ‘Hate Week’ ahead of Georgia Tech

The Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalry may not be as competitive lately as it used to be, but the Bulldogs aren’t treating Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate lightly by any means.

Georgia’s staff has instilled intensity in practice this week leading up to the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff (ABC) in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks described “Hate Week” preparation to the media on Tuesday.

“It’s intense,” Starks said. “It’s Hate Week. Everything kind of goes up a little more … Georgia Tech week around here, there’s nothing playful about it.”

The undefeated Bulldogs have four on-field assistant coaches on staff that played in the rivalry as UGA players themselves: head coach Kirby Smart, offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, wide receivers coach Brian McClendon and co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

“Coach Smart gave us a history lesson earlier this week … Just a history lesson about Georgia and Georgia Tech and how long it goes,” Starks said.

On the flip side, Georgia Tech has its fair share of players and coaches familiar with the rivalry. Head coach Brent Key is a former Yellow Jacket and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner served as an assistant under Smart in Athens.

Former Georgia wide receiver Dominick Blaylock and tight end Brett Seither will suit up for the first time against their former team after transferring in the offseason.

The Bulldogs have controlled the series easily as of late, winning five-straight by a combined total score of 217-49. That said, the Yellow Jackets, who have two ranked wins on the season (Miami, UNC), would like nothing more than to throw a wrench in Georgia’s season before next week’s matchup with No. 8 Alabama in the SEC championship game.