Georgia DB Malaki Starks named Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Georgia DB Malaki Starks named Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist

Georgia safety Malaki Starks has been named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back.

The sophomore is third on the team with 29 tackles and has two interceptions on the season. University of Georgia Athletics released a statement on Tuesday.

“Georgia sophomore safety Malaki Starks has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation’s top defensive back, according to an announcement from the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Tuesday.”

Starks has followed up his Freshman All-American season with another impressive campaign in 2023. Georgia currently sits seventh nationally in scoring defense (14.8 points per game) and eight in yards allowed per game (272.1 yards per game).

Former Georgia cornerback Dandre Baker won the 2018 Thorpe Award and safety Christopher Smith, a Las Vegas Raider, was a semifinalist last season.

Starks and the Bulldogs return home this week to take on No. 14 Missouri (7-1, 3-1 SEC) for Homecoming in Athens. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, televised on CBS.

 

Georgia football DB named as top returning sophomore safety

Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Malaki Starks has been named as the top returning sophomore at safety

Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Malaki Starks has been named as the top returning sophomore at the safety position. Georgia is coming off winning back-to-back national championships. Starks played a big role as a true freshman in Georgia’s 2022 national championship-winning season.

Starks made a critical tackle against Missouri in Georgia’s close win over the Tigers. The former five-star recruit is expected to start at safety alongside Javon Bullard for the 2023 college football season.

Bleacher Report notes that Malaki Starks was excellent against the pass and the run as a true freshman.

Starks was also excellent at defending the run on the Dawgs’ top-ranked rush defense. He had a 72.1 run-defense grade per PFF, which ranked third among Power Five true freshman safeties.

Starks did misjudge a pass play against Florida, but overall his freshman season was outstanding. Starks has incredible athleticism and came out of the gates strong against the Oregon Ducks in Atlanta.

Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks helped set the tone for the 2022 college football season with an acrobatic inception against Oregon. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Malaki Starks finished his true freshman campaign with 69 total tackles, two interceptions, and seven pass deflections.

Starks will have to adapt to life without Christopher Smith as a sophomore, so he will have to be more of a leader in 2023 as Georgia looks to win a third consecutive national championship.

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Georgia’s Malaki Starks ranked among top returning safeties

Just a rising sophomore, Starks ranked at the top…

Georgia safety Malaki Starks earned freshman All-American honors in the Bulldogs’ 2022 national title season after finishing third on the team in tackles (69), first in pass breakups (7) and second in interceptions (2).

The former five-star recruit’s ability to contribute right away on one of the most talented defenses in college football was evident from the jump in the Bulldogs’ season opening win over Oregon.

Pro Football Focus recently named Starks the No. 3 returning safety for the 2023 season.

The Bulldogs are in good hands with Starks’ return, but questions remain at safety following the departure of All-American safety Christopher Smith to the NFL draft.

Rising seniors Dan Jackson and Tykee Smith return with multiple starts under their belts, and Georgia brought in former Texas A&M safety Smoke Boujie via the transfer portal this offseason.

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Ranking the best true freshman from the 2022 season

Which true freshmen made their mark on the 2022 season and where is Harold Perkins Jr on the list?

In today’s college football, we are seeing more and more young players make immediate impacts on their teams.

From running backs to linebackers to tight ends, there is no shortage of young rising stars at the collegiate level. It was no different in Baton Rouge when [autotag]Harold Perkins Jr[/autotag] opted to sign with LSU over Florida and Texas A&M.

The SEC had plenty of talented freshmen taking the field for teams that were competing for the SEC title. After four months of college football action, I compiled a list of the 10 best true freshmen to take the field in 2022. Some names you may recognize with at least one that doesn’t get the headlines of the rest of the list.

We kick it off with a running back out of the state of Alabama.

Know your foe, Georgia: Which Bulldogs could give Ohio State problems in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

These dogs have bite #GoBucks

As we inch closer to game time, we need to look a bit more into who is going to be on the opposite sidelines from our Ohio State Buckeyes. The Georgia Bulldogs have been fantastic over the last two seasons, dropping just one game while winning last year’s College Football Playoff.

The [autotag]SEC[/autotag] only sent one team to this year’s CFP but as the one seed. There are tons of playmakers for UGA and a lot of credit goes to quarterback [autotag]Stetson Bennett[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Brock Bowers[/autotag], and defensive tackle [autotag]Jalen Carter[/autotag]. We won’t touch on those players because as we all know about them. Here are five other Bulldogs that could give [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] problems on New Year’s Eve in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Saturday night.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on Twitter.

Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today

Three Georgia Bulldogs earn SEC player of the week honors

Three Georgia Bulldogs have earned SEC player of the week honors for their outstanding performances against Tennessee.

Three Georgia Bulldogs have earned SEC player of the week honors for their performances against the Tennessee Volunteers.

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett was named co-offensive player of the week with LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. Bennett scored three touchdowns and threw for 257 passing yards in Georgia’s 27-13 win over No. 1 Tennessee (CFP ranking).

Georgia freshman standout Malaki Starks continues to impress. Starks was named the conference’s co-freshman of the week with LSU’s hero against Alabama, Mason Taylor.

Starks recorded 10 tackles against Tennessee. He was frequently forced to make one-on-one tackles and dominated in man coverage. Starks may be the top freshman in the country. He is constantly around the football.

Lastly, Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter was named the SEC’s defensive lineman of the week. Carter frequently pressured Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker from the interior. Carter finished with a sack and two forced fumbles.

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Georgia-Missouri play of the game: Malaki Starks saves TD

The Georgia Bulldogs won at Missouri partially thanks to Malaki Starks’ high-effort tackle

The Georgia Bulldogs won 26-22 at Missouri. Georgia’s four-point margin of victory is the same number of points freshman defensive back Malaki Starks saved with a clutch, high-effort tackle.

Starks chased down a Missouri running back to prevent a second quarter touchdown. Missouri quickly lined up following the play, but was called for a false start penalty. The Tigers failed to score a touchdown thanks to Georgia’s stout red zone defense. Missouri settled for field goal to take a 16-3 lead.

This was a pivotal point in the game. If Georgia fell behind by three possessions, the Dawgs would have been in many more obvious passing situations for the remainder of the night. Instead, Georgia tacked on another field goal before halftime and never trailed by more than 13.

In the second half, Georgia used a stronger rushing attack to help cut into the Tigers’ lead. Eventually, the Dawgs took the lead and didn’t look back from there.

Starks, a former five-star recruit, is a standout for the Bulldogs. The true freshman already has a pair of interceptions. Starks’ interception against Oregon was a special play. Additionally, the Jefferson High School graduate had 17 total tackles entering the Missouri game.

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My God a Freshman: Malaki Starks makes insane interception

What a play by the true freshman

Georgia signed one of the nation’s top ranked recruiting classes last year, headlined by five-star athlete Malaki Starks.

Starks wasted little time showing why he had that five-star title next to his name as a prospect from Jefferson, Georgia.

The former No. 4 overall player in the nation made an insane interception against Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks in the first quarter of his first ever collegiate game.

Watch here:

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Two Georgia Bulldogs on list of ESPN’s top-50 CFB newcomers

Two Dawgs made ESPN’s list of the top-50 newcomers (transfers and recruits) for the 2022 season

ESPN recently ranked the top-50 newcomers for the 2022 college football season.  Its list included both incoming high school recruits plus players who transferred via the portal.

Georgia did not sign any transfers this offseason, but it did land the nation’s No. 3 ranked 2022 recruiting class with 30 signees, five of which were 5-star prospects.

Former Georgia wide receiver Jermaine Burton, who transferred to Alabama this offseason, ranked No. 12 on the list.

Georgia freshman defensive end Mykel Williams, who ranked as the nation’s No. 4 overall recruit, checked in at No. 33 overall.

Via ESPN:

Georgia lost defensive end Travon Walker and tackles Devonte Wyatt and Jordan Davis this offseason. The staff has the depth to replace them, but Williams might be too talented to keep off the field. Though only a freshman, he could work himself into a rotation and contribute early on.

Williams got the start with the No. 2 defense at G-Day. The 2022 Maxwell Football Club Defensive National High School Player of the Year was one of the top pass rushers in the class, and he quickly made a name for himself in the locker room.

In an interview on “UGA Football Live with J.C. Shelton,” former UGA tight end John Fitzpatrick, now with the Atlanta Falcons, described Williams after blocking him in practice while preparing for the College Football Playoff.

“He’s a special player. … Looks super similar to Travon Walker.”

Next on the list was Georgia safety Malaki Starks, who ranked No. 42 by ESPN.

Starks came to Georgia as a 5-star who ranked No. 19 in the nation and as the No. 1 ranked athlete.

Via ESPN:

Starks was a five-star athlete in the 2022 class who will play safety for the Dawgs. He was the highest-ranked recruit in the class for Georgia and is joining the team as safety Lewis Cine and defensive backs Derion Kendrick, Latavious Brini, Ameer Speed, Lovasea Carroll and Jalen Kimber are all leaving. Starks should have an opportunity to earn playing time in what looks to be a thin safety room this season.

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5-star ATH Malaki Starks signs with Georgia

Starks is a Dawg. More 5-star talent coming to Athens.

Georgia landed its biggest fish of its 2022 class when 5-star athlete Malaki Starks officially signed to play football at UGA.

Starks ranks as the nation’s No. 14 overall player and as the top ranked athlete in his class.

Out of Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Georgia, Starks had been committed to UGA since March. It came down to Georgia, Alabama and Clemson – and the Dawgs came out on top.

He stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 200 pounds. Starks is expected to be a safety at the collegiate level.

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