William Malaki Starks (born November 13, 2003) is an American football safety. He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, winning a national championship in 2022.
Early life
Starks grew up in Jefferson, Georgia and attended Jefferson High School.[1] A five star prospect, he was ranked by ESPN as the No. 12 recruit in college football's class of 2022.[2] In October 2021, he committed to play college football for Georgia.[3][4][5]
College career
As a true freshman, Starks emerged as Georgia's starting free safety, leading the defense in total snaps played, and finished second on the team in tackles as Georgia won the national championship.[6][7] As a sophomore in 2023, he was named a consensus All-American.[8]
On January 6, 2025, Starks declared for the 2025 NFL draft.[9]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0+7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
197 lb (89 kg) |
31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.50 s | 1.51 s | 4.45 s | 7.26 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine[10][11][12] | ||||||||||||
References
- ^ Emerson, Seth. "The gift and the glory: Malaki Starks' journey to stardom with Georgia football". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
- ^ "2022 ESPN 300". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ Goodin, Hannah (October 16, 2021). "Recruiting spotlight: Jefferson's Malaki Starks". Georgia Public Broadcasting. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
- ^ Boyce, Hunter (December 15, 2021). "Georgia Bulldogs ink five-star prospect Malaki Starks". 11Alive.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "Malaki Starks Signs Letter of Intent". SI.com. December 15, 2021.
- ^ Austin, Brooks (October 17, 2022). "Georgia Breakout Players From First Half of the Season on Defense". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ James, John (January 5, 2023). "Freshman Malaki Starks becomes playmaker for Georgia defense". The Red & Black. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (December 16, 2023). "SEC Football by the Numbers: 2023 Consensus All-Americans". AL.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
- ^ "Georgia football safety Malaki Starks announce his plans for 2025". onlineathens.com. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
- ^ "Malaki Starks Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "2025 NFL Combine Measurements by School: Heights, Weights, Hand Sizes, and More". CollegeFootballNetwork.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
- ^ "Malaki Starks College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
External links