Georgia football: Check out Malaki Starks' acrobatic interception that triggered a Bulldog scoring drive

ATLANTA — Georgia football junior defensive back Malaki Starks was compared to former Bulldog star and Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey after an "absolutely elite" interception. Coach Kirby Smart called it.

"[Bailey] would play middle field safety and he had range that was unheard of, I mean he could go from sideline to sideline, and he made some diving plays and extended his body," Smart said after Georgia's 34-3 win over Clemson Saturday in the season-opener . "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. He's just a tremendous athlete, but with all those accolades, he's one of the most humble, great kids I've ever been around."

"I even saw Champ before the game, and I told him that Malaki has a lot of the same traits he does."

As Clemson junior quarterback Cade Klubnik launched a second straight pass for sophomore Tyler Brown down the right sideline, Starks leaped into the air and intercepted at the Georgia 22-yard line.

"Unbelievable play," Klubnik said. "Saw TB kind of had a yard on him and let it out there. The guy did a great job kind of pushing Tyler to the sideline. One of the best plays I've seen since I've been playing at Clemson. Kind of tip of the hat to that kid right there."

The former Jefferson High School star's acrobatic interception ignited a UGA drive that freshman running back Nate Frazier opened with a 40-yard Cash Jones' 15-yard sprint into the end zone and Peyton Woodring's PAT staked Georgia to a 34-3 lead with just over six minutes to play.

"I thought I knew it was coming and then I was kind of running with him and his tempo started to change so I knew the ball was coming," Starks said of the play. "I really just wanted to get in phase and look and lean and when I saw the ball coming, I kind of lost it in the light for a second, so I kind of waited to jump so I didn't jump too early, but I still think I did. It was an amazing catch, and I was happy I was in a position to do it."

His teammates had a lot to say about his athletic ability.

Quarterback Carson Beck didn't see it live, but he sure did hear it, and as he jogged out onto the field, he watched the jumbotron with senior offensive lineman Tate Ratledge.

"Me and Tate locked eyes and were just like, 'Oh my gosh.' It's crazy what he [Starks] is able to do," Beck said.

Junior inside linebacker Jalon Walker called this interception better than the one at Oregon he had in 2022.

"Let me tell you about that," Walker said with a laugh, sitting up a little straighter in his seat with excitement. "I was on the field covering my guy when I saw Cade throw the ball and I'm like, 'OK this is a 50/50 ball with Malaki on the receiver.' I look and I see him twist and catch that ball and I just took off in a sprint. That's probably like my fastest GPS time (ever). That was insane.

"We had a moment before that and just told each other, I told him he's going to get one and he said I'm going to get one. And then we did. Appreciated it and I'm proud of him."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia football: Check out Malaki Starks' acrobatic interception that triggered a Bulldog scoring drive