Malaki Starks making moves early in Georgia Football fall camp
Members of the Georgia Football staff know the kind of talent that they have in freshman defensive back Malaki Starks. The No. 1 safety in the country and a top-10 ranked player overall according to the On3 Consensus, Starks is going to be asked to contribute early in his collegiate career. Georgia needs him to with the depth concerns in the secondary. So, as the Bulldogs go through fall camp, that means that Malaki is being thrown into the fire some, allowing him to learn his lessons in practice as opposed to on the big stage.
“Malaki (Starks) is doing a good job. As are our freshmen DBs. I think our freshmen DBs are going to be good football players. That does not mean that I am saying they are going to go out there and start. Our freshmen DBs are going to help us,” Georgia head coach Kirby Smart said when asked about Starks after the team’s first scrimmage of the season this past Saturday. “All of those guys have shown a sign of, ‘Man, he is going to be okay. He is going to be able to help us. He is going to be a good player.’ Eric Stokes didn’t do a lot his freshman year. It is just one of those things that those guys are going to grow into those positions. Now I think your freshmen are your backups because you don’t have the depth. It really shouldn’t be where they are your 2s, but most of our guys are 2s and in some cases 1s. Malaki having the spring has helped him. He and JaCorey (Thomas) have both come along really well.”
So far, Starks has been seen working with the safeties and STARs in individual while getting some reps as a DIME-backer during a recent competition period. But with the good – his obvious talent and athleticism – comes plenty of tough times too. As Smart said, ‘You show me a freshman DB that played in the SEC, I’ll show you a guy that gave up plays.’ Georgia co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp works with the safeties and STARs specifically, meaning that he’s gotten to see the most of Starks this spring and into the fall.
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“Right now, we’re training both of them (Malaki Starks and fellow freshman defensive back JaCorey Thomas) to be safeties. Marcus Washington is another young man that is playing the STAR position. All three of those guys are good young players,” Muschamp said. “Obviously, Malaki and JaCorey benefitted from going through the spring, so they have a little bit better of an understanding of practice organization, schematic things we do, and that will come with Marcus. Both of them are going to be really good players—when that happens, I don’t know. We’re only in practice five of training camp, so it’s very early to tell anything, but I’m really excited about both players.”
According to reports out of Georgia’s first scrimmage this past weekend, Starks had himself a big day. The five-star out of local Jefferson (Ga.) High School will do his best to replicate that this coming week in the second scrimmage all in lead up to the start of the season on September 3rd against Oregon. Then it’ll really be go time, and we’ll get to see just how much Starks factors in to the game plan as a freshman.
