Injuries can be tricky, especially when it comes to your star player.
The Georgia Bulldogs continue to monitor the health of star safety Malaki Starks. The All-American underwent offseason shoulder surgery due to a nagging injury that persisted throughout last season.
While Starks was able to play through the injury last season, the surgery has kept him from being a full participant in practice throughout the offseason. The Georgia star even admitted that he’s still working on fully trusting his shoulder as his workload gets ramped up in practice.
“I’m feeling good,” Starks told reporters at SEC Media Days. “Surgery went well. My rehab is going good, and I think it’s just going back to that phase of being able to trust myself again. Going through summer workouts and stuff, I’m gaining that trust back, and I feel really good. I’m excited for fall camp to hit.”
Although Starks says that he’s feeling good, it’s unclear what his status will be for the team’s season opener on August 31 against the Clemson Tigers. However, head coach Kirby Smart downplayed the severity of Starks’ surgery and injury.
“Malaki’s great, typical surgery, shoulder surgery we have, labrum repair,” Smart explained at SEC Media Days. “He’s been on schedule. He actually did some things in spring practice non-contact. I wasn’t even thinking of him as an injury guy.”
Starks has thrived as a full-time starter since arriving on campus. Along with consensus All-American honors, he was first-team All-SEC in 2023 with 52 tackles, seven pass breakups, and three interceptions.
That shouldn’t be a surprise considering Starks was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school back in 2022. With Javon Bullard now off to the NFL, he’ll take to on an even bigger role as a true junior for 2024.
