MARCH 24, 2021 – COMMITS to UGA !

BIO INFO

Malaki Starks
Jefferson Dragons S/DB #24
Class of 2022
5* Recruit (#1 ATH in Class of 2022; #4 OVR recruit)
.991 247Sports Composite Rating
6’1 – 195 lbs

Speed, check. Athleticism, check. Agility, check. Malaki Starks checks every box as an athlete. He is explosive on either side of the ball, though at the next level it’ll be what he does on defense that will surely land him in the NFL. Starks is a ball-hawk, and has the speed to go up against the best receivers in the country, and the athleticism to make any pass one that’s up for grabs. -Brian Carter, BLITZ

CAREER STATS & RECORDS

YR	RUSH YDS	RUSH TD	YPC	REC YDS	TKL	TFL	INT/FUM	DEF TD
2018	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2019	544	5	10.3	157/2 TD	27	1.5	5/1	2
2020	1,537	24	8.9	***	41	3	2/0	0
2021	337	7	6.7	***	17	1	3/2	0
–	2,418	36	8.6	157/2	85	5.5	10/3	2

• 2018: Not on varsity
• 2019: Jefferson Dragons; 10-2, #4 State Ranking, Region Champions, 4A State Quarterfinals
• 2020: Jefferson Dragons; 14-1, #1 State Ranking, Region Champions, 4A State State Runner-Up
• 2021: Jefferson Dragons; 9-2, #1 State Ranking, Region Runner-Up, 4A State RND 1

TOTAL: 33-5 Record, 2 Region Titles, 2 10-win seasons, 1 Quarterfinals, 1 State Runner-Up

KNOWN OFFERS

Starks is the #1-ranked ATH in the Class of 2022, and #4 overall recruit in the nation. He is a consensus 5-star by ESPN, 247 Sports, and Rivals. He has a .991 composite rating, and listed at 6-1, 195. He held roughly 17 offers, choosing UGA over Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, LSU, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, USC, and Virginia Tech.

• Alabama
• Auburn
• Clemson
• Florida
• Florida State
• Georgia
• Georgia Tech
• LSU
• Mississippi State
• Nebraska
• Notre Dame
• Oklahoma
• Ole Miss
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• USC
• Virginia Tech

VIDEOS & HIGHLIGHTS

FRESHMAN SEASON (2018)

Did not play on varsity at Jefferson. However, he helped the Dragons’ track and field team win a state title, and won the individual gold in the long jump (23-7), while also having a 10.55 100-meter time and 24-9 long jump.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2019)

Malaki Starks had a breakout sophomore season for the Dragons, particularly on defense. He snagged five interceptions and took two back for TDs. He registered seven TDs on offense, including rushing for 544 yards and five scores. That earned him All-Region honors, and set the stage for a stellar junior year, with Power 5 programs starting to take notice.

JUNIOR SEASON (2020)

Moving into the QB role as the best athlete on the field, Starks rushed for 1,537 yards and 24 TDs, throwing for 569 and 11. He still did his thing on defense too with 41 tackles and two picks, and was pivotal in Jefferson winning a region title and going all the way to the State Championship game, falling in a tough one to Marist. He had six games of rushing for more than 100 yards, including a career-high 321 in the State Semifinals at Benedictine, where he found the end zone four times on the ground one once in the air (47 pass yds).

SENIOR YEAR (2021)

Starks played less his senior year, totaling just 337 rushing yards on 50 attempts, scoring seven TDs. The transition of running the ball more with newcomer Sammy Brown (another 5-star Jefferson product) led to him finding contact less often. On defense too, Starks had a career-low of 17 tackles and three interceptions, but still showed his 5-star abilities. Jefferson had a tough first round exit in a stunner at home against Hapeville Charter.

COLLEGE – UGA (2022-2024)

Starks was a started from day one for UGA, picking off Bo Nix of Oregon in his first game at the Mercedes Benz (photo above). He started 15 games and had 68 tackles (3rd on the team), with 1.5 for loss and two interceptions with seven PBUs. His sophomore 2023 season featured 52 tackles, three picks, and another seven PBUs. In his final year (2024), he had a team-high 77 tackles (4 for loss), an interception, and three PBUs. He also got four carries for 39 yards. He had eight tackles in the SEC Championship win over Texas, and four in his final game (Sugar Bowl CFP Quarterfinals loss to Notre Dame). His career included a pair of double-digit tackle games, and eight with the interception in his first-ever contest. He was a Freshman All-American 1st Team selection in 2022, a Consensus All-American 1st Team member in 2023, and in 2024 earned AP, The Athletic, Walter Camp 2nd Team All-American honors, as well as AFCA and FWWA 1st Team All-American recognition.

• 2022: 68 TKL, 1.5 TFL, 2 INT, 7 PBU
• 2023: 52 TKL, 3 INT, 7 PBU
• 2024: 77 TKL, 4 TFL, 1 INT, 3 PBU
• TOTAL: 197 TKL, 5.5 TFL, 6 INT, 23 PD; 89 INT YDS, 39 RUSH YDS

AWARDS & HONORS

• AJC Super 11 (2021)
• Under Armour All-American Game (2022)
• AJC 1st Team All-State (2020)
• AJC 2nd Team All-State (2021)
• 2x 1st Team All-State by Recruit GA (2020, 2021)
• MaxPreps Junior All-American (2020)
• MaxPreps Senior All-American (2021)
• Region 8-AAAA Player of the Year (2020)
• 3x 1st Team All-Region (2019, 2020, 2021)

3x BLITZ Player of the Week | 1x BLITZ Athlete of the Year

SOCIAL MEDIA

INSTAGRAM – @mstarks24