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Georgia freshman Malaki Starks is putting 'special' athleticism on display

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•09/07/22•

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(Photo by Tony Walsh)

Compliments from the head coach don’t just fly willy nilly around Georgia’s football facility. Kirby Smart isn’t in the habit of making a big deal about every strong statistical performance or big play, but the seventh-year head coach is giving credit where it is due regarding freshman safety Malaki Starks.

After the former five-star prospect played 52 snaps with a team leading eight total tackles and interception in UGA’s season opener at Oregon, Smart certainly seems to be at least a little impressed.

“Yeah he’s a special athlete,” Smart said on 92.9 The Game’s ‘The Steakhouse’ with Steak Shapiro and Rusty Mansell on Wednesday. “Having watched him play basketball and do things, he actually turned one way and then turned the other way and then he was falling down with the receiver and was able to come up with it. It was pretty incredible the twists and turns he made to adjust to the ball. That’s one of those things that when you get really good, talented players, they can wow you like that. The great ones, they’re humble with it and continue to get better.”

Starks made that play on Oregon’s second possession of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff. With millions watching, the Jefferson High School product was thrust into one-on-one coverage against a slot receiver and he came out on top.

Five-star prospects always arrive on campus with a great deal of hype. Malaki Starks wasted no time showing that he plans to live up to it. He finished the 2022 recruiting cycle as the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect and No. 1 safety per the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 3 player in the Peach State per those same rankings.

In speaking with those who saw Starks this spring and preseason, the strides made between March/April and August were mentioned prominently. He went from a newcomer drinking from the proverbial firehose in his first 15 practices as a Bulldog to challenging for a starting spot. Smart saw that same growth and hopes to see more of the same going forward.

“…He did a tremendous job in the spring. People go back and in the spring, he was probably swimming like a true freshman and by fall camp he was, you know, probably spring of a freshman guy,” Smart said. “His year usually, he’s coming into that first spring a typical kid who usually comes in the fall and struggling. Then they go to the (next) spring and they get some confidence. Well, his spring was really in the fall and he caught up to speed pretty quick. He was very diligent in his meeting time and bought in to the fact that he had to learn what to do more than just be a great athlete. He’s done a good job managing that. Now the next management becomes does he understand that you have to do it every day to be at this level. And he has to have some practices this week that allow us to be successful with him now and he has done that thus far.”

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