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Alf’s Buccaneers Eye on the Draft: Malaki Starks, Safety, Georgia

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PHOTO FROM BUCCANEERS

By: Alf Colmenar Bucs Report Special to Sports Talk Florida

he 2025 NFL Draft is getting closer, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be looking for a high-impact reinforcement for their secondary. In this installment of “Alf’s Buccaneers Eye on the Draft”, we analyze Georgia Safety Malaki Starks. Starks would be a phenomenal fit for the Pewter Pirates defense.

Who is Malaki Starks?

Since stepping onto Georgia’s campus, Malaki Starks has been a true playmaker. A starter since his freshman year and a key part of one of the nation’s best defenses, he was named First-Team All-America in 2023. At 6’1″ and sporting feline mobility, he’s the prototype of a modern safety capable of playing all three defensive levels.

His versatility allows him to line up as a single-high safety, a nickel safety, or even near the box. His technique, game awareness, and range make him an ideal tactical weapon for creative defenses like Todd Bowles’s.

Malaki Starks’ Strengths

  • Athletics and quick change of direction
  • High defensive intelligence
  • Ball skills and lateral range
  • Positional versatility (slot, deep, nickel)
  • Man and zone coverage capacity
  • Consistency in technique and execution

In deep coverage, his ability to read the QB, rotate his hips, and attack the ball make him a real threat to create turnovers. And from deep, he diagnoses the run well and drops down decisively to stop the ball carrier.

What does Malaki Starks need to improve?

His physique can raise questions: he’s not a great hitter , and although he’s a reliable tackler, he’s not the kind of strong safety who imposes physically. He can also take too many risks looking for the big play, and fall into tricks like double moves or combination routes.

His durability could be a slight concern, though nothing that will worry scouts if he continues his consistent production.

Would Malaki Starks be a good fit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Malaki Starks on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be a spectacular pick if the team is looking to complement Antoine Winfield Jr. . Bowles needs versatility, discipline, and the ability to cover from a variety of defensive alignments, and Starks offers it all.

Plus, with Todd Bowles looking to generate more big plays on defense, a profile like Starks’s, with the ability to generate interceptions and react to plays in the open field, would be a perfect fit as a hybrid safety/corner in Nickel and Dime packages.

NFL Comparison: Jessie Bates III

Like Bates, Starks stands out for his intelligence, coverage ability, and range in the open field . Both play with patience, read routes, and attack the ball decisively.

Conclusion: Is Malaki Starks a real option for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Without a doubt. If the Bucs are looking to bolster their secondary with a cerebral, technically savvy player with elite range, Malaki Starks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be a high-value pick. He’s ready to start from day one and become a key part of the defense for years to come.

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The No. 1-ranked University of Tampa rolled past Rollins en route to the lacrosse NCAA Tournament.

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8 hours ago

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April 28, 2025

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The No. 1 ranked University of Tampa men’s lacrosse team won its ninth Sunshine State Conference title, adding their 18th victory of the season, now they turn their focus to a second NCAA championship after the first winning in 2022.

How It Happened

  • Davis Lindsey and Rafe Bradshaw scored back-to-back goals to give Tampa a 2–0 lead after the first quarter.
  • Rollins tied the game at 2–2 early in the second quarter before Tampa regained the lead heading into halftime.
  • Tommy Ortega‘s first goal helped spark a 3-goal run by the Spartans after the break.
  • Tampa outscored Rollins 4–1 in the third quarter, extending its lead to 8–4 heading into the final frame.
  • Jackson Bashaw scored twice in under two minutes to open the fourth quarter, recording his first career SSC Championship hat trick.
  • Tampa closed the game with a 3–1 fourth-quarter advantage, sealing an 11–5 win.
  • The Spartans controlled possession, winning 16 of 19 faceoffs.
  • Tampa’s defense forced 12 Rollins turnovers while allowing just two goals over the final 32 minutes.

Spartan Performances

  • Bashaw recorded a game-high 4 goals to lead the Tampa attack.
  • Lindsey finished with 3 goals and 1 assist, his seventh hat trick of his first Spartan season
  • Ortega contributed two crucial goals in the first half.
  • Bradshaw tallied a goal and an assist while helping fuel Tampa’s early momentum.
  • Zack Friend handed out two assists and won key possessions for the Spartans.
  • Michael Flores dominated the X, winning 13 of 15 faceoffs and picking up 7 ground balls.
  • Connor Theriault earned his 18th win of his innagural Spartan season, making 14 saves on 19 shots faced for a .737 save percentage.

Up Next: The No. 1 Spartans shift their focus to the NCAA Tournament, with their path revealed during the Selection Show ahead of first-round play on May 7.







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USF SPRING Game shows the coaches and the plenty to excited for this fall.

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9 hours ago

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April 28, 2025

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A capacity crowd of 5,360 fans filled the stands and grass berms around Corbett Stadium on a beautiful Saturday evening as the USF Spring Game presented by LifeLink wrapped-up 15 highly productive practice sessions for the Bulls as they head into their third season under head coach Alex Golesh.

Bulls Nation enjoyed a day of fun and football with a street fest outside the stadium and the always popular alumni flag football game played at halftime. On the field, a herd of young Bulls shined, giving fans a taste of the future in a fast-paced Spring Game that featured 12-minute quarters and a running clock.

“It was really, really cool to come in and play in front of 5,300 people,” Golesh said. “We’ve done this three years in a row now and it gives you goose bumps to walk out and play a game on campus. Certainly, I’m super excited for 2027 when we get a chance to come out in the fall and play on this campus.”

Freshman quarterback Locklan Hewlett (St. Augustine) led all passers completing 13-of-14 for 110 yards and three touchdowns. Senior Bryce Archie (Powder Springs, Ga.), a starter in eight games last year, went 11-of-18 for 97 yards. Senior Byrum Brown (Raleigh, N.C.), who has looked impressive practicing all spring after missing the final eight games of the 2024 season with an injury, sat out the game to protect a hamstring strain Golesh said would not have kept him out of an actual game.

Sophomore wide receiver Brandon Winton (Knoxville, Tenn.), who saw action in four games last year, led all players with two touchdown receptions, both from Hewlett, including a 29-yarder for the second score of the day. Junior JeyQuan Smith (San Bernadino, Calif.) also caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Hewlett, part of two receptions for 61 yards on the day.

Sophomore Nico Gramatica (Tampa) scored the other points of the day, hitting a 47-yard field goal.

On the ground, USF saw sophomore Nykahi Davenport (Roswell, Ga.) ran eight times for 55 yards and sophomore Alvon Isaac (Hawthorne, Fla.) logged nine carries for 50 yards.

Defensively, freshman linebacker Gavin Leach (Newburgh, Ind.) logged six tackles and a sack while graduate transfer defensive lineman Josh Celiscar (Winter Haven, Fla.) posted six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Sophomore cornerback James Chenault (Orlando) got an interception to go with four tackles, while graduate safety Jaelen Stokes (Auburndale, Fla.) got the other interception on the day, returning it 40 yards after making the swipe in the endzone.

“I think a solid day, because our trainer wasn’t out on the field a whole lot,” Golesh said. “You really just want to get out of it healthy and get a bunch of clean work on both sides of the ball and I thought for the most part it was really clean. There was some young guys that got to play a ton of reps and that was really good to see.”

Up Next:

Several Bulls are slated to earn degrees as the spring semester comes to a close and USF holds commencements May 8-11. USF football will go through summer workouts and fall camp before kicking off the 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28 vs. Boise State in Raymond James Stadium. The Broncos will be the first of potentially three preseason Top 25-ranked non-conference opponents for the Bulls, who will also play at Florida (Sept. 6) and at Miami (Sept. 13). 

Tickets:

Deposits for new 2025 USF football season tickets are being accepted now and may be placed by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK. The Bulls will play six contests in Raymond James Stadium in 2025, starting with a season-opening clash with 2024 College Football Playoff participant Boise State on Thursday, Aug. 28.

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To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Football news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL

The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai’i Bowl. Head coach Alex Golesh posted a program-best six-game turnaround and a Boca Raton Bowl victory in his first season in 2023. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million, on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.





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Rookie Simpson has 3 hits as the Rays sweep the Padres with a 4-2 win

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9 hours ago

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April 28, 2025

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Tampa Bay Rays’ Chandler Simpson slides in to score from third base off a wild pitch during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Sunday, April 27, 2025, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie Chandler Simpson raced home to score the go-ahead run on a wild pitch in the fifth inning and had his first three-hit game for the Tampa Bay Rays, who beat the San Diego Padres 4-2 on Sunday for their first sweep of the season.

Simpson has hit safely in all eight games since he made his debut on April 19. He reached base four straight times — a walk and three singles — scored twice and had an RBI single.

The Rays extended their season-best win streak to five. The Padres were swept for the first time this season and have lost a season-high four straight games, in which they’ve scored only three runs.

Zack Littell (1-5) snapped his five-start losing streak by holding the Padres to two runs and five hits in five innings. Pete Fairbanks pitched the ninth for his second straight save and sixth overall.

Padres starter Randy Vásquez (1-3) retired the first two batters in the fifth before allowing singles to Simpson and Brandon Lowe. Simpson came sliding home headfirst, with his batting helmet flying off, on a wild pitch during Yandy Díaz’s at-bat to give the Rays a 3-2 lead.

Simpson robbed Manny Machado of a home run in Saturday night’s 4-1 win.

The Padres took their first lead in four games with two outs in the second when Jose Iglesias singled in Xander Bogaerts, who had reached with a leadoff single off the glove of third baseman Junior Caminero.

The Rays jumped ahead 2-1 in the third on Taylor Walls’ first homer of the season, to right field with one out, and Brandon Lowe’s RBI single .

Key stat

Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. had his 21st career outfield assist when he threw out pinch-runner José Caballero on a one-hopper to Martín Maldonado to end the seventh. The Rays challenged but the call was upheld.

Key moment

Simpson’s third hit, an RBI single in the ninth that brought in former Padres outfielder Travis Jankowski.

Up next

Rays RHP Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.08 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday night at home against Kansas City. The Padres haven’t named a starter for Tuesday night’s home game against San Francisco.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB





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