Malaki Starks on Kirby Smart when players transfer: 'If we lose you, that is okay'

The transfer portal has been a wise lesson to all athletes across the college landscape. As is the case with any job, we’re all replaceable to a certain degree. Such is the brutal nature of any business. The show must go on. And at a place like Georgia, head coach Kirby Smart has built his culture on brutal honesty. Not afraid of the portal, Smart made sure to let his players know that if you they leave, the Bulldogs will find a replacement.

On Thursday evening, Malaki Starks and Miles Thornton went on The Players’ Lounge podcast to share stories of the Smart’s honest approach with the portal.

Here is the clip of Starks and Thornton on the podcast.

UGA’s Malaki Starks & Miles Thornton talked about Georgia’s team first approach and the transfer portal on a recent episode on @ThPlayersLounge

“Kirby says all the time… If we lose you, that is okay. We will replace you.”

FULL SHOW: https://t.co/yFlWQMT9Sz pic.twitter.com/gVATk4Yh8T

— Graham Coffey (@GrahamCoffeyDC) May 9, 2024

“But the thing is we don’t have a guy. We’ve got a team. Some teams have a guy. We have a team. There is no guy that stands out,” Starks said.

“Kirby says all the time, if we lose you, that is okay. (Laughs). We will replace you. He keep it a hundred percent. Like, yo, you wanna go somewhere else. That’s fine. We will find another you. We’ll find two of them, just because,” Thornton said.

While every player is certainly replaceable, it’s certainly harder to find some than others. And a remarkable talent like Malaki Starks simply doesn’t grow on trees. In 2023, he earned first team All-American honors from an extensive number of media outlets after he racked up 52 tackles, seven pass breakups, and three interceptions.

He earned first team All-American honors his freshman year (2022) after he was third on the team in tackles (68). Starks also led Georgia in pass breakups his debut season with seven and snatched two interceptions.

Coming out of high school, Starks was one of the most highly rated prospects in the nation. He played his high school football for Jefferson High School (Jefferson, Georgia). According to the On3 Industry Rankings for the 2022 cycle, he was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 10 overall player in America. An exceptional athlete, Starks was a state champion in long jump (23 feet, 7 inches).

His personal best in the long jump in high school was 24 feet, 9 inches. He also had a personal best 100-meter dash time of 10.55 seconds. As one of the highest rated prospects, Starks played in the Under Armour All-American Game.