Malaki Starks named top safety in SEC for next season
Georgia has been well represented in Max Chadwick’s rundown of the top returning players at each position for 2023, and in Pro Football Focus’ final position, you guessed it, the Bulldogs are there once again. Malaki Starks was listed as the No. 3 safety in the country and the top one in the SEC, coming in behind only Calen Bullock of USC and Kamren Kinchens from Miami.
Starks started all but one game for Georgia in 2022, taking over in the spot next to Christopher Smith after an impressive season-opener against Oregon. On the second drive of the game, Starks came down with an incredibly athletic interception of Ducks QB Bo Nix and led the team in tackles with 8 stops. He did the same thing later in the year against Tennessee, earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Week in Georgia’s 27-13 win over the Volunteers, ranked No. 1 at the time. That was the first of two straight games leading the team in stops, also doing so at Mississippi State in the game that clinched the SEC East for the Bulldogs, on his way to finishing the season with 68 in total, third-best on the team. He was named a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
Starks was thrust into a starting role on a national championship team as a true freshman. In fact, the former top-10 recruit’s 847 snaps this season led all Georgia defenders, regardless of position. His 72.1 run-defense grade this year ranked third among Power Five true freshmen safeties. Starks registered eight combined interceptions and forced incompletions, which was tied for fifth among SEC safeties this season. He’ll return next season as one of the leaders in the Bulldogs’ defense. – Chadwick
Starks comes back in a secondary that also returns two of the top cornerbacks in the country with Kamari Lassiter and Javon Bullard. Those two were included in Chadwick’s top 10 for that position. Of course Kelee Ringo and Christopher Smith are off to the NFL, but the Bulldogs appear to be well off there.
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The front seven also should be strong. Smael Mondon and Jamon Dumas-Johnson finished as the team’s top two tacklers in their first year as starters. They both are back, as are several defensive linemen like Zion Logue, Nazir Stackhouse and Mykel Williams among others. If there was any area to be concerned, it might be on the edge at outside linebacker losing Nolan Smith and Robert Beal, but five-star type talent like Marvin Jones Jr. and freshman Damon Wilson help alleviate any fear there.
Georgia begins spring practice in less than a month on March 14th. Then Kirby Smart and company will put the players through 15 practice sessions including three scrimmages over the course of 30 days. The last of those scrimmages takes the form of a spring game for fans to see at G-Day on April 15th.
