Malaki Starks picks Georgia over Alabama and Clemson
This was a tight race. Especially over the last few weeks.
Jefferson (Ga.) top 100 athlete Malaki Starks visited Alabama and Georgia before COVID-19 hit early in 2020, then took a trip to Clemson last week, but in the end, despite having an uncle that played at Clemson, the four-star decided to stay home, and be a Bulldog.
“To be a Dawg has a great sound to it,” Starks said. “It is a great feeling to know I am staying home, to know I am going to be close to family, and to be able to say I am going to Georgia.”
All that sounds great if you are Kirby Smart, a coach in Athens or part of the Bulldog Nation, but this wasn’t as easy as Starks made that sound.
“I kind of knew in my mind a while back that it was Georgia, but I honestly went back and forth about it the last couple of weeks. It was not as easy as I thought it might be, because the more I thought about it, the more I knew how great it could be at Alabama or Clemson.
“But the feeling I have about Georgia, and when I am at Georgia, it is different. It feels like home when I am there. I am comfortable with everyone there. I feel like I am already part of the family at Georgia, and not just a recruit they want to be there.
Starks is only 30 minutes or so from Georgia. He knows a lot of Georgia fans, the city of Jefferson is Bulldog-strong, and him having the opportunity to stay home and play for the school he grew up following in his home state means a lot.
“It is a great feeling to know I will be right down the road playing for a school I grew up always wanting to play for,” said Starks. “So many people I grew up around are huge Georgia fans, and I have always loved the school, so to be staying home is a special feeling.
“I will be able to see my family, I won’t be far from my friends, and it will be great to be at Georgia. I am going away to school, but still staying home, and being close to everyone.”
Smart was a big factor. The head coach put in a lot of time and effort to recruit Starks. Plenty of others did too, like new defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae, assistant coaches and many others.
All that work paid off.
“So many people at Georgia got to know me, recruited me and made me feel comfortable. The biggest difference with Georgia was that comfortable feeling. I felt great with the coaches, the academics people got to know me, they all know my family, and the time Georgia put in meant a lot to me.”
Now Starks is relieved to have recruiting behind him, and he now thinks about his future. His no. 1 goal is to win a state title at Jefferson, but it is hard for him not to think a little about what will come next.
That is his time between the hedges.
“Since I was a kid, I dreamed of playing inside Sanford Stadium, so to be committing to Georgia is such a great feeling,” said Starks. “Going through the recruiting process, putting the work in to get here, and to be making my dream of playing for Georgia means so much.”