History William Malaki Starks was born on November 13, 2003, in Commerce, Georgia. He attended Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Georgia, where he excelled as a two-sport athlete in football and track and field. In football he was a multi-positional star playing on both offence and defense. By the end of his high school career, he was ranked fourth nationally by 247 Sports in the 2022 class and was a five-star recruit. Starks received offers from top programs like Alabama, Clemson, and USC but chose to stay close to home, committing to the University of Georgia

Starks enrolled at Georgia in January 2022 and made an immediate impact as a true freshman. He started every game after Week 1, contributing to Georgia’s second consecutive national championship. His stats included 68 tackles, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions, earning him recognition as a key defensive player on a star-studded roster. Starks continued to shine in 2023, earning consensus All-American honors and First-Team All-SEC recognition. He recorded 52 tackles, seven pass breakups, and three interceptions, solidifying his reputation as one of the nation’s top defensive backs. His performance also landed him on watch lists for awards like the Jim Thorpe Award

In his final season at Georgia, Starks registered a career high of 77 tackles, three pass breakups, and one interception. Off the field, he was honored as part of the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his community service, including his work with cancer-related charities in memory of his mother, and was named Scholar Athlete of the Game at Stegeman Coliseum, reflecting his academic excellence.

2024 Statistics

765 Defensive Snaps 426 Coverage Snaps 77 Total Tackles 4 Tackles For Loss 1 INT 3 Pass Breakups 1 TD Allowed 86.7 Passer RTG Allowed 1 Penalty

NFL Combine/Pro Day 10-Yard Split- 1.51s (87%) 40-Yard Dash- 4.50s (73%) Vert- 33” (19%) 3C- 7.26s (10%) Shuttle- 4.45s (6%) Awards All-America (2024) All-America (2023) Second-Team All-SEC (2024) First-Team All-SEC (2023) Scorecard Overall- 88.6 Speed- 82 Acceleration- 90 Agility- 78 Strength- 80 Tackling- 77 Zone Coverage- 89 Man Coverage- 81 Press- 72 Run Defense- 87 Discipline- 97

THE GOOD
Elite range as a free safety, capable of covering sideline to sideline, thanks to his rapid speed and elite change-of-direction.
Excels in zone coverage, particularly in deep-third or two-deep schemes,
Shows great his instincts and football IQ.
Has fantastic pre-snap recognition and ability to diagnose plays quickly.
Rarely out of position in zone coverage, showing discipline and awareness in deep responsibilities.
Effective communicator on the back end, aligning the secondary and making adjustments pre-snap.
Willing and physical run defender, capable of stepping into the box to support against the run.
Uses length and leverage to disengage from blockers, particularly against slot receivers.
High-character player, voted team captain at Georgia, reflecting leadership and respect from peers