Georgia's Malaki Starks inks NIL deal with Associated Credit Union

Malaki Starks is positioned for a breakout sophomore season.

The former On3 Consensus five-star recruit helped Georgia win a national title this past year. The safety has already popped up on the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List. A key piece of the secondary, he finished with two interceptions and seven pass breakups in his rookie campaign.

Now he has become the second Bulldog to sign an endorsement deal with Associated Credit Union in the NIL Era. A two-year agreement, the defensive back will represent the Norcross, Georgia, credit union in public relations campaigns and community outreach projects.

Georgia tight end Brock Bowers previously signed a multi-year partnership back in March 2022. The fifth-largest credit union in Georgia, ACU has a 93-year history. Bowers and Starks partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Associated Credit Union in December to take 16 kids Christmas shopping, each with a $300 to use. 

“This new partnership will provide more opportunities for us to positively impact our community,” ACU CEO C. Lin Hodges said. “We are privileged to partner with yet another remarkable young man to continue to support ACU’s mission and vision.”

Starks is repped by Everett Sports Management. The sports marketing agency has become one of the top destinations for talent through the first two years of NIL. The agency has worked with Stetson Bennett and the Cavinder twins. Bowers is also on their client list.

ESM’s Faryn Heatly has served as Starks’ lead marketing agent. Since signing with the agency in January, he has added NIL partnerships with Beats by Dre, BioSteel and J.B Grimes.

“Malaki is proud to have Associated Credit Union as his first major NIL partnership,” ESM president Dan Everett said. “The emphasis on exceptional service that ACU consistently delivers in the financial space directly aligns with Malaki’s mindset on and off the field.”

Malaki Starks’ On3 NIL Valuation

The Georgia safety currently holds a $501,000 On3 NIL Valuation. His valuation ranks in the top 75 of college football. Starks’ social media platforms have put him in a strong position. He has more than 25,000 followers.

Additionally, his valuation sits right outside of the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

Furthermore, the On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.