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Malaki Starks, Amarius Mims and Warren Brinson Interviews – August 22, 2023
#24 Malaki Starks | So. | DB
On where he has improved his game…
“I would say recognizing formations and just really diving in and learning football. Being here with Coach Schumann, Coach Muschamp and Coach Smart, you have no choice but to learn football. So, I would say just understanding the game of football better. I focused on every aspect I could work on – footwork, recognizing defenses and offenses, trying to communicate better. Really just everything because you can always improve on something, so I have been trying to take every aspect of my game and bump it up.”
On competing against the receivers on the team…
“I think we can be as explosive as we want to be. We definitely have the talent. We have the leaders to do it, and I think that is huge. It’s a great group of guys, like I said, the best in the country. Going against the is only making me better, the secondary better, and the whole defense as a group, the whole offense as a group. To be here you have to be very competitive. It’s not easy. Like I said, you’re going against the best people in the country every day. That group of guys – it’s crazy. There’s so much talent, so much depth. They’re all good at different things. There is not one person in this room that can do anything to shock anybody. I’m very blessed to be here an compete with these guys.”
On where things have clicked for him during fall camp…
“I had some [moments where things clicked for him] in spring, too. And that goes back to just really trying to dive in and learn every day. Find something to get better at. The guys around me hold be accountable – Javon Bullard, Tykee Smith. Me and Bull do this thing where we write down three things that we need to work on every day. We watch each other, and we try to hold each other accountable. Just seeing and going back to film to see something I did; I wouldn’t have got that last year or a few months ago. I can really say that I am trying to trust the process and dive into it.”
#65 Amarius Mims | Jr. | OL
On playing both sides of the line…
“In the system that we have, I feel like you need to be ready to play on both sides of the ball, because you never know what’s going to happen in the game. If the left tackle goes down, I have got to be comfortable enough to go over there, and our coaches have to be comfortable enough to trust me. I feel like I can get the job done at left tackle, so that’s very important for not just me, but any tackle to know both the left and right sides.”
On how comfortable he is when his number is called…
“I’m extremely comfortable now. It comes with reps and learning from the guys like Warren [McClendon] and Broderick [Jones] and the guys that were here before me. We take all our reps seriously, because when you’re a starter, you’re expected to uphold the standard that we have here. I feel like that’s very important.”
On the offensive line this year…
“This offensive line this year is very special. We’ve got two deep that are really good. Like, all five positions up front – the ones and the twos – are a good group of guys. We accept Coach Searels challenge everyday of coming in with the right mindset, playing with effort, having the right attitude. When we’re like that, just watch out. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
#97 Warren Brinson | Sr. | DL
On the depth on the defensive line…
“We have a motto in our room, Coach Scott always preaches it. ‘We all we got. We all we need.’ We know it is going to be a journey this season to work hard, to fill up the rows, to push through and sustain this whole season. It is us putting forward our best foot to work hard and sustain to take care of our bodies. The best thing to do for us is to get into recovery, treatment, hyperbaric chamber and stuff like that to keep us fresh and prepared. Practices are always going to be the same. It is going to be tough; we know that. It is going to be hard, but we just have to keep going. Football is a tough game. You have to be tough playing defensive line. IN the NFL, this is like the league, there are only eight defensive linemen on the roster. This is the closest to the league as we are going to get.”
On why it is important to give back to his community…
“When I was coming up, there were not a lot of people who did that. Coming from Savannah, there are not a lot of role models to look up to. I left Savannah to go to IMG, but I want people to know that is my heart. That is where I am from. I will always give back to the kids. The Lord says you have to tithe the offering and give back to the less fortunate, so I always try to give back to people. I am blessed and fortunate to make NIL, so why not give back my money to them?”
On his development as a player…
“The biggest step I have taken is in my mental toughness. Being at Georgia, it is a lot of hard work and straining. My biggest step that I took was mental toughness. You will get stingers here and there, little bumps and bruises, but you have to shake that off and keep going. I know that I can’t let my guys down. I have to take my reps in practice. If I don’t take my reps, it is going to wear on somebody else on the defensive line. It is about doing my job and my part to produce protection and doing my job.”
On learning how to play at Georgia…
“When it comes to strain, it is a grind. It is probably the hardest camp in the country. It is working, putting your mind down. You have to have the mental toughness to go through this. You have to go through it to get to it. Coming to Georgia is a hard work place. Strain is a force of strenuous and a force of great effort. We od drills that imply strain on us because 50 percent of sacks in the NFL last year were after four second. We have to rush. It is things like that, strain.”
Fourteen Dogs Named To Preseason Coaches All-SEC Team
Fourteen Bulldogs, including a league high 10 on the First Team, were included on the 2023 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference Team, according to a league announcement Tuesday.
Junior tight end Brock Bowers, junior receiver Ladd McConkey, junior tackle Amarius Mims, redshirt sophomore guard Tate Ratledge and junior Sedrick Van Pran were named to the First Team offense while sophomore lineman Mykel Williams, senior lineman Nazir Stackhouse, junior linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson, sophomore safety Malaki Starks and junior defensive back Javon Bullard were voted to the defense’s First Team.
Second Team Bulldog selections included senior running back Kendall Milton, senior guard Xavier Truss, junior linebacker Smael Mondon and junior defensive back Kamari Lassiter.
MBB: The Dawgs’ non-conference schedule will feature nine home dates and trips to Las Vegas, The Bahamas and Tallahassee
The Bulldogs will play three games in Athens and three contests on the road in November before hosting a six-game homestand throughout December. Six of the 13 outings will be against high-major programs.
Georgia will open its season on Monday, Nov. 6 – the first day of the college basketball season – against Oregon at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas as part of the Naismith Hall of Fame Series. The Bulldogs will return to Athens and host Wake Forest and North Carolina Central on Friday, Nov. 10 and Sunday, Nov. 12, respectively.
Georgia will then trek to Nassau for the Baha Mar Hoops Bahamas Championship. The Bulldogs will take on Miami, a 2023 Final Four participant, on Friday, Nov. 17 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Two days later, Georgia will face either Providence or Kansas State, both NCAA Tournament teams last season, in the tourney’s championship or consolation outing.
The Bulldogs will entertain Winthrop on Friday, Nov. 24 before traveling to Florida State to face the Seminoles on Wednesday, Nov. 29 as part of the inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge.
Georgia opens December with Mercer visiting Stegeman Coliseum on Friday, Dec. 1. The Bulldogs will face arch-rival Georgia Tech on Tuesday, Dec. 5 before an 11-day break from games during Final Exams. Georgia will host three outings in six days prior to the holidays, taking on High Point on Saturday, Dec. 16, Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and North Florida on Friday, Dec. 22. The Bulldogs will wrap up non-conference action against Alabama A&M on Saturday, Dec. 30.
Georgia upped its win total by 10 games during White’s first season in Athens, the second-largest regular-season jump among all Power 5 programs.
The Bulldogs’ 2023-24 roster will feature a mix of six returnees, five transfers and five freshmen. Georgia’s class of transfers has been ranked No. 12 nationally by On3Sports.com, while the group of freshmen is listed at No. 18. The Bulldogs are one of only three programs nationally to have both sets of newcomers tabbed among the top-20 by On3.
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