Georgia's Malaki Starks signs with ESM for NIL representation

Malaki Starks is a Georgia native. He helped the Bulldogs win their second consecutive national championship on Monday night, a fitting ending to his freshman season.

The safety emerged as a reliable piece of the secondary in his first year. He tallied two interceptions with seven pass breakups and 45 solo tackles.

And now he’s making sure to set himself up for success off the field. The former On3 Consensus five-star recruit has signed with Everett Sports Management for NIL representation. The agency will assist Starks in managing and establishing his brand.

ESM’s Faryn Heatly will serve as his lead marketing agent. He’s already started to work with the agency, striking a partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Associated Credit Union to take 16 kids Christmas shopping during the holiday season.

“At ESM we take personal pride in the relationships we foster and form with our athletes,” Heatly told On3 in a statement. “When the opportunity presented itself to work with Malaki, we could not have been more excited. He is focused, determined, and most importantly, dedicated to family, community and his teammates. He’s an incredible player and an even better person.”

The sports marketing firm has become one of the top destinations for talent in the first two years of NIL. The agency currently represents Stetson Bennett, Brock Bowers and the Cavinder twins. All four have emerged as some of the most successful athletes in NIL, with Bennett and the Cavinders closing in on seven figures of earnings.

ESM also recently signed Jalin Hyatt, brokering the former Tennessee receiver’s agreement with Hyatt. And while the agreement with ESM is strictly for NIL purposes at the moment, the company also assists NFL clients such as Jalen Hurts, Mac Jones and Nick Chubb.

Starks’ social media following puts him in a strong position, with nearly 30,000 social media followers. ESM will work to build the following, along with providing access to a lengthy list of notable brands.

Malaki Starks’ On3 NIL Valuation

The Georgia safety currently holds a $274,000 On3 NIL Valuation. His valuation ranks in the top 160 of college football.

And while his social media following sits at just under 30,000, that’s only expected to grow in the coming years.

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.

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.