Versatility is a priority at Georgia. For instance, Jalon Walker is a “versatile” player, taking snaps at inside and outside linebacker.

Walker's effectiveness in Saturday’s 34-3 win over the Clemson Tigers earned him the honor of being named the Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week.

But there was another star on Georgia’s defense who shined through his versatility: Malaki Starks.

The consensus All-American from last season was at the forefront of Georgia’s shuffling in the secondary on Saturday. With projected starter Joenel Aguero sidelined with an injury, Starks moved down from his typical safety position to help fill the void at Star (nickel).

"He did a nice job when he played the star, especially for a guy that didn't rep there, but last week a few times,” Kirby Smart said of Starks on Monday. “He didn't get any reps in camp there, so he did a good job jumping in and filling that role. Malaki can be our best player at five positions, so it's more a matter of what's around him and what's healthy, working, and what are we going to do defensively.”

Being ready when called upon is nothing new for Starks. It took just a few snaps into his collegiate debut versus Oregon in 2022 before he made a highlight acrobatic interception. He notched another arial interception versus Clemson, despite playing a different position.

As for Smart’s high praise, that is nothing new either. Following the win Saturday, Smart went as far as to compare his junior safety to one of his former teammates.

“When Champ [Bailey] was a freshman, we were in 42, people don't remember it, he would play middle field safety, and he had range that was unheard of,” Smart said. “He could go from sideline to sideline, and he made some diving plays and extended his body.

“Malaki is very similar to that in terms of his ability to play man-to-man, his ability to play safety. He can go out and play corner if he had to.”