Georgia football enters the 2024 season as one of the top teams in the country. But it won’t be all on the shoulders of Kirby Smart to lead this team to another national championship. There will be many twists and turns along the way, with different players being asked to step up.
With that in mind, DawgNation is previewing the upcoming season, looking at the most important names, games and everything in between. Today, the DawgNation team is focused on the most important defensive player. There was a debate between safety Malaki Starks and edge defender Mykel Williams for as to who is more critical to Georgia’s success in 2024.
Jeff Sentell: The most important defensive player for Georgia this year will be Malaki Starks. Someone has to make those special plays, like the one he made his freshman year against Oregon. But the ones Javon Bullard made, the ones Lewis Cine made.
Connor Riley: I think Malaki Starks could very well be the best defensive player in the country. He brings rare athleticism and range to the safety position, in addition to physicality. He’s a key leader and voice on this team, something he’s worked on this offseason, even while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Mike Griffith: Mykel Williams is a hybrid player. He can play defensive end, he can play on the interior at defensive tackle and he can also play the edge. Georgia is gonna move him around strategically based on the matchups but Mykel Williams is the trainwrecker that Kirby Smart has been saying this team needs.
Brandon Adams: The good news is that Starks and Williams are being mentioned as two of the top defensive players in the country. If they have seasons that are in line with their current projections, we could see a Georgia defense that once again resembles some of the best defenses of national championship seasons in recent years.
Starks earned All-American honors last season for Georgia and is entering his third season as a starter for the Bulldogs. Georgia will have to replace three starters in the secondary and the Bulldogs will be counting on Starks to cover up any deficiencies on the back end.
Williams meanwhile is experimenting more at the outside linebacker position for Georgia. While he’ll still work on the defensive line, he’s looking to make an impact closer to what he did against Florida State at the end of last season. Williams has finished with 4.5 sacks in each of his first two seasons.
Starks and Williams will both be integral players on Georgia’s defense this year, which ranked fifth in the country in scoring defense in 2023. The Bulldogs open the 2024 season against Clemson on Aug. 31.
