This isn't how Malaki Starks envisioned his third spring at Georgia.

The All-American safety has been sidelined this spring after undergoing shoulder surgery. He only just recently returned to doing individual drills.

"It's been tough. I haven't been out this long since I started playing football," Starks said.

The injury originated in last year's fall camp. A few games into the season, Starks felt that things weren't right in his shoulder.

Before the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, Starks found out the injury would require surgery. But Starks still chose to play in the Orange Bowl against Florida State before going under the knife.

"The guys I played with last year, I won't get to play with them again this year, or ever, unless we get on the same team when we get to a higher level," Starks said. "That connection that we built, that bond that we had on that team was special. And two, the job wasn't finished. A lot of people opted out, and there's nothing wrong with that. There was still a game to play, and just because it wasn't the game we wanted to play or whatever the case may be, I wasn't going to just sit out and treat it like it was nothing.”

The surgery and subsequent rehab have kept Starks out most of this spring. But he called the injury a "blessing in disguise."

Watching from the sidelines has forced Starks to look at things from a different perspective.

"When you have to sit there and watch, it teaches you to watch different things," Starks said. "Usually I just kind of pay attention to what I've got to do and the dude beside me. You see everything when you're just sitting there watching, trying to coach everybody up. That's probably the biggest thing."

Starks' leadership has benefitted as well. As he steps into the role of the elder statesman in the defensive back room, that could pay dividends for Starks heading into his third (and what could be his final) season at Georgia.

"It's teaching me how to lead from a different perspective and be there for the younger guys, and also the older guys," Starks said. "We've got a mix of young guys and old guys in the DB room, so it's kind of teaching me how to get to everybody and connect with certain people."