CARSON BECK
Q. With the rules now allowing iPads on the sidelines, how do you think that will help you? Is it too much information overload? What kinds of advantages or disadvantages do you see?
CARSON BECK: I actually didn't know that so that's my first time hearing that. I'm actually super excited about that. That's super cool. I think going back and watching film this past year, I almost wished that we did have iPads on the sideline because there's so many different situations that happened throughout a game, but when situations repeat, a lot of defensive coordinators end up going back to what worked before and they'll repeat calls. So being able to see those things and maybe even having like a little -- I guess you have one step or it feels like you might have one step on a defensive coordinator. If you see the look before if something doesn't go right, they might go back to it, which happened a lot in our games this past year. I think that'll be super cool to add that and be able to see that.
Q. In 2022 you were a backup in the National Championship game, and in '23 of course you were a 14-game healthy starter. Talk about your progression as a quarterback and being able to stay healthy, how important that is.
CARSON BECK: Yeah. I think when you have such a good offensive line, I think we have a very strong offensive line, one of the best in the country, if not the best in my opinion, it helps me to be able to stay healthy. But as far as the quarterback goes, I think over the course of last year, if you go look at game 1 and then you look at game 14, it's not even the same quarterback. Making the decision to come back this year, I'm excited to see what the progression from game 15 to whatever X amount of games we might play this year is going to look like. Each game more confidence gets built, and that repetition continues to happen, you just become more comfortable within your offense and with your teammates and during the game. Very excited to see that progression continue to unfold.
Q. A couple of your top targets from last season are in the NFL now, Brock and Ladd, among others. Who do you anticipate stepping up among the wide receivers and tight ends this season?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, I think there's so much depth on our offense and there's so much talent that there's not one or two names that I could really pronounce right now, which makes me excited as a quarterback. I'm very excited to see who those guys are going to be that step up and make those big time plays and those big time moments. We have a lot of big games coming up this year so who's going to step up, who's going to be that guy, who's going to be the go-to guy, or is there one? Is everybody going to contribute equally, which is kind of what we saw last year. There's a lot of guys that stepped up in different games and contributed. Super excited for the depth that we have and all the talent that we have on offense.
Q. For Oklahoma's football team and Oklahoma fans, can you describe how tough a road game is in the SEC for Oklahoma, and what is the toughest road game you've played in in the conference?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, obviously playing on the road in the SEC is very difficult. Every single game is going to be packed out. Being a top team in the country like we have been these past couple years, they're going to show up and they're going to give you your best. Every time we walk into a stadium we know they're going to give their best and we know that that stadium is going to be packed out. It's going to be loud. It's going to be difficult. There's going to be communication problems. But you handle that in practice. You practice that. Then once you get in the game, you're comfortable with it. But obviously, an SEC schedule is very difficult. I would say the hardest road game was my first one, was at Auburn. I'd never been on the road before as a starter. Obviously I had experienced road games from the sideline knowing how loud it is, but chase that. it's different when you're in the heat of it. When you're thrown into the fire and you have to be the one to distinguish the fire. I'd say Auburn was definitely -- it was very fun. I'll say that. Although difficult, very fun, and I definitely enjoyed playing at that stadium.
Q. Texas is another team joining the SEC and they're on your schedule. How much are you looking forward to welcoming them to the league, and then in the past in the Big 12 it was a penalty for horns down. The SEC that's not the case. Is that kind of popular horns down gesture something you and your teammates would like to utilize?
CARSON BECK: I think Coach Smart would be upset if we did that. We'll stay away from that one. But no, obviously we do have them on the schedule. I'm very excited to play -- I've never been there before. I've never visited, never seen it. So very excited to play them. Obviously a very talented team and obviously have a tough schedule coming up, and we have some big road games against some really talented teams in cool environments. I'm always excited to go on the road and experience someone else's environment, and I know we have a good schedule coming up. I'm excited about it.
Q. Bill Norton was a teammate of yours for a couple years at Georgia. I don't know if you still talk to Bill and how well you got to know him at Georgia. Just thoughts on Bill as a person and as a player, and what kind of player is Texas getting with Bill?
CARSON BECK: We had a pretty good relationship when I was at the University of Georgia. My first visit he was on his official with two other guys that he came in with initially, so that's actually one of the first people that I met at the University of Georgia. But I think he's a great player and he's a great guy. We always had a good time whenever we were together.
Q. You've got some ink on your left leg that says sky's the limit with a shuttle. Why did you go with that and what's it mean for you?
CARSON BECK: I think it's self explanatory for me, like sky's the limit is like there is no -- like as far as progressing and getting into where I want to be, there is no limit. So if you shoot for the sky, there is no ceiling. I feel like that's kind of how I try to approach my game and myself as a person is that if I say the sky is the limit, it's kind of self-explanatory. There isn't a limit. It's going to be never-ending progression. You're just constantly trying to
Q. Now having the experience that you have of being a starter in this league, any advice for other quarterbacks now coming into the SEC for the first time about what it takes to excel as a quarterback in this league?
CARSON BECK: I think the biggest thing is preparing. For me, what gives me confidence is my preparation. So if I prepare the right way on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, then I'm confident going into the game because I don't have anything to worry about. There's no flaws, there's no this. I might need to look for this or look for that, but I think having that preparation aspect is going to give you confidence once you go into the game because it's going to be difficult. It's not going to be easy no matter what week it is. You're playing a talented opponent with a coach that is going to have his players well prepared for you. They know your tendencies, they know the plays you run. You've got to be prepared for what they're about to bring at you. I would say preparation is the biggest thing that gives me confidence.
Q. Can you talk about the type of player Mykel Williams is and what he brings to the team?
CARSON BECK: Absolutely. Mykel is one of the most talented, gifted athletes that I've seen come through the University of Georgia, and that's a lot, given the guys that have come before him at his position. He's a top dog. He's going to make plays in the backfield. He's going to shed blocks. He's going to be able to pass rush. Him having that ability to play on every single down and have such an impact that he has is what makes him such a great player. Then beyond that, the guy that he is, the person that he is beyond the football field makes him even better in my opinion. No, he's a great guy.
Q. You're obviously a confident guy. How have you been able to balance that confidence year two as a starter Heisman Trophy candidate and not gotten overconfident at this point?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, for me I like to put my focus on the team around me and focus on what's actually important. When you focus on the team and you really put other people before yourself and you are selfless and you focus on your wide receivers, you focus on the O-line, you focus on the tight ends, you focus on the defense, you focus on the team as a whole, it kind of takes all that outside noise and pressure of these individual awards and individual statistics and it puts it on, okay, let's win this week and let's win the next week and so on, so forth, and when those things happen and you can focus on the team and everybody on the team is on that same mindset, that's when those individual kind of awards start to happen. Like I said, just focusing on the main thing and keeping that the main thing.
Q. Nick Saban was just talking about you on the SEC Network broadcast saying he knows you well from when you were committed there. How close were you to joining Alabama and what's your relationship like with Coach Saban?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, obviously I was committed there. I want to say it was my sophomore year of high school until just after my junior year going into my senior year is when I decommitted and committed to Georgia. I'd say I have a great relationship with Coach Saban, obviously one of the best if not the best college coaches of all time. His demeanor, the way he approaches the game, his intelligence level towards football, the respect that he demands from his players. I think we had a great relationship. Obviously I never got to experience him actually being a coach, but from what I've heard and what I was able to see in building a relationship with him, he's an amazing coach and an amazing person, as well.
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MALAKI STARKS
MALAKI STARKS: It's crazy, we've got a count down clock in the weight room, and I looked at it the other day and it was like 80 something days and now it's like 40 something. So it's crazy.
Q. What's it like working with Coach on the daily basis? What do you see that the public might not see?
MALAKI STARKS: He's intense. He's very intense, but he means well. He's very competitive. He's just a guy who wants to go out there and win and wants to bring the best out of you. That's one reason why I chose to come to Georgia, just to be around a guy like that.
Q. You've had such a high standard the past few years, how the Georgia Bulldogs have played. How do you get out of complacency and improve, especially as a defense?
MALAKI STARKS: I think just realizing complacency gets you passed up. If you're flat lining people who are consistently growing are going to passed you at some point, and the goal is not to get passed, just keep growing. I feel like especially on defense there's nothing you can't get better at, nothing you can't keep growing in, so that's the goal is just to keep growing day by day.
Q. Talk about the defensive identity; what are you most looking forward to this season and what can we expect out of the defense?
MALAKI STARKS: Just that competitiveness, just to go out there and be hungry, be who we are, be the standard of what Georgia was built on. I think that's the biggest thing. Another reason why I came to Georgia is to play defense. Georgia has always been that school, when you look at defense that's who you want to be, and we just want to go out there and be what we can be.
Q. Could you talk about the offense? Obviously with some quality pieces leaving, people have different expectations. What are the expectations for your team and what are you seeing in them early on?
MALAKI STARKS: Right. I think offense is doing great. They really are. The guys that came in like Trevor, Colbie, the transfers that we got, they've stepped up and they've taken a bigger part in the offense. I like to say that we don't rebuild, we reload, and those guys are doing a great job of stepping up and learning, so I'm excited to see what they can do.
Q. What do you notice from Carson Beck? Have you seen a step up in level of play from him?
MALAKI STARKS: I have, and I think that last year was really big for him. I think the thing for Carson is just to step up and be Carson. Just be himself. And I think he's starting to realize that. He's starting to get a lot more comfortable with his role of just being that guy, being that voice on the offense and on the whole team. Just him being himself is the biggest thing for him right now, and I think he's doing that very well.
Q. Who are some guys on the team that aren't be talked about that maybe should be and that could surprise some people this year?
MALAKI STARKS: I say his name every now and then, but I think Dillon Bell. I think Dillon Bell is that guy people need to watch out for. The way he works, the way he goes about his business. It's just incredible. Just to be able to compete with a guy like that is huge, so I'm excited to see what he does this season.
Q. Can you speak on the type of player that Mykel Williams is and what he brings to the defense?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah, I like to say Mykel is a generational talent, the things that he can do. He's very, very important to our defense. We wouldn't be the same without him. Just the type of guy that he is, I think that's the most important thing. He's a great guy and just his competitive spirit, just the way he goes about his business is huge, and I think that's why he gels so well in our defense. He's a big part of what we do.
Q. You all have been consistently atop the conference for the last handful of years. How much has the messaging remained the same, and with Nick Saban retiring has it changed at all?
MALAKI STARKS: Not really. We want to keep the standard the standard, and that's not to talk about games, go win them. I think that's the biggest thing for us, and we just want to be able to do what we know we can do and just keep doing it at the highest level.
Q. After an excellent All-American season you dealt with some injuries this off-season. How is your shoulder feeling, and mentally how are you feeling right now having dealt with some adversity in spring camp?
MALAKI STARKS: I'm feeling good. Surgery went well. My rehab is going good, and I think it's just going back to that phase of being able to trust myself again. Going through summer workouts and stuff, I'm gaining that trust back, and I feel really good. I'm excited for fall camp to hit.
Q. A guy like Cole Speer who's been in the program a couple of years and trying to work his way on to the field, how have you seen him grow and do you think he's someone that can make an impact to this team this season?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah. Cole is one of the leaders on this team, just the way he goes about his business, the way he puts his head down and works, great athlete. Cole is awesome. To see him kind of grow, and the role he's going to step into this season is going to be huge for him, and I'm excited to see what he does with it.
Q. With Texas and Oklahoma coming in and you guys having Texas on your schedule, how much are you looking forward to welcoming those teams into the SEC?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah, I'm excited. I feel like the SEC is if not the best conference you can play in, so just being able to compete with the best of the best, going down to Texas and just having a chance to go compete with those guys, I'm really excited. I think the main thing is it's just focusing on us right now and then we'll hit Clemson in a few weeks and take it day by day, game by game, but I'm excited.
Q. The Opener at Clemson, do you enjoy starting the season with games like that right off the bat?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah, man, it's competitive, and as a competitor I love it. There's nothing better than facing a good team. We've got a bunch of good teams on our schedule, they just happen to be one of them, so I'm excited to see what we can do. One of my friends I went to high school with, Sammy Brown, is down there now, so it's going to be exciting to go back and forth with him.
Q. When you're at a place like Georgia, two National Championships in the past few years, probably at practice every day you're going to have some epic battles. Who's been your favorite person to go up against in practice and scrimmages this year?
MALAKI STARKS: I'd say Dom, Dominic Lovett. When he got here from Missouri, he was fitting into the culture and now he's one of those leaders on the team. Just his competitive spirit, which is why we go at it a lot. We all talk about the Missouri game, how he got him and he got me. We go back and forth and we keep tally who wins, so that's huge.
Q. OU and Texas is a storied rivalry. They play in a neutral site. What's it like, Georgia and Florida playing in Jacksonville, a neutral site?
MALAKI STARKS: I think it's huge, and that's something I didn't really understand when I was little, that neutral site of Georgia and Florida and everything that goes on there. But just being able to be in that game the last two years, just being in Jacksonville, it's huge. It's a different feeling. You get to the stadium, and you're in an NFL stadium, by the river, in Jacksonville, it's an amazing atmosphere to be in.
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MYKEL WILLIAMS
Q. Are you a technology guy when it comes to learning? This year the league is allowing iPads on the sideline during games. Carson didn't know that. How do you think that could help you or could it be information overload for someone like yourself?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I feel like that's really going to be a huge help for us, especially like in-game adjustments. That's where I feel like it's going to serve its most value, and I feel like I can't wait to use that. It's going to be exciting.
Q. Oklahoma is entering the SEC this season. What can they expect out of conference road games, and what's been the toughest road game that you've played in during your career?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I feel like Oklahoma should expect loud fans, loud stadiums, tough, hard-nosed, physical opponents, and just good games in the SEC. It's just tough in the SEC. I'd say my toughest road game probably had to be Auburn from last year. I went there, it was loud, they was very good at home, and when we played, it was a great game there at Auburn.
Q. What was the toughest quarterback you competed against last year and why?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Last year? That's a great question. It may have been Auburn because they were in a dual quarterback, a two-quarterback system, and both quarterbacks provided something different. Both of them could run. One of them was more of a passer, one was more of a runner. I believe it may have been Auburn.
Q. Talking with Coach Smart and Malaki, I was asking about Cole Speer, and he said how he's grown as a person and a leader, and Coach Smart mentioned how much of a locker room leader he is. What does he provide to this locker room, and do you see him playing a big role for this team this fall?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I do. He comes in with great energy. He's ready to work. That's what I like about him. I feel like he can come in and he's going to play this year, like he's going to have a great role and help us a lot.
Q. I'd love to hear about who else on the defensive line has been impressing you this off-season. Anybody you think could have a breakthrough among your teammates?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: We've got a variety of guys this year, especially with our young guys. We've got a lot of young guys that I feel like really the whole class we brung in, I feel like they can step up and play because they got here early and they learned a lot. They'll be able to help us. I feel like the main guys this year will be what it's been, like Christen Miller, Warren Brinson, Naz Stackhouse, Jordan Hall. All those guys that's been here, I feel like they're going to step up and make it happen this year.
Q. Do you remember your "welcome to Georgia Kirby Smart" moment where you're like, this is not Columbus anymore?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah. Broderick Jones. I rarely get pancaked, man, but Broderick Jones pancaked me and I was livid by it. I was highly upset.
Q. The standard is awful high at your school. Is that a challenge? Is that something you guys enjoy?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Yeah, we really appreciate having that standard here. It gives us something to grasp, something to aspire to, and the standard helps us play to our full potential and be who we're going to be.
Q. What have you done to become a better player, and what do you want put on display to the folks who haven't seen you yet?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I've been working constantly this offseason and proving my pass rush ability and my run stopping ability and also my flexibility period in having that ability to bend around corners and edges. I hope that goes on display this year.
Q. You were a very highly touted coming out of high school. You had options. What was it about Georgia that made them the right choice?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: The atmosphere I got when I went to a game that really changed my thinking process about how I thought about Georgia and how I felt about Georgia. Then actually letting them recruit me and seeing what they were about and how the culture was here and how connected everybody was and how everybody was team oriented and wanted to win. Everybody wanted the same goals. It really got me here.
Q. When you first arrived at Georgia, what was the complicated level of the defense? Is it something that takes you a while to learn? When did you feel you learned it, after that first year, year and a half?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: After my first spring year. It took me just spring. We've got a lot of defensive calls. We've got a huge defense, crazy package. But the way they break it down and install it to you and put everything in families, it makes it so simple and quick to learn. You really want to learn it, it's simple to learn.
Q. I'm curious, are you familiar with Oklahoma at all, their history, their tradition, or Brent Venables at all?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I am familiar with Brent Venables. I remember he was the DC at Clemson, recruited me for a while, but I'm not too familiar with Oklahoma and their history, but I'm excited they're in the SEC, though. He's just a great coach, great defensive coordinator, great defensive mind.
Q. What is one personal goal that you have coming up this season, and what is the game plan to attain that?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: One personal goal that I have this year is to win, win a lot of games, and the game plan behind it is to go in week in and week out and do the things necessary to win.
Q. You're from Columbus. There's always a lot of talk about South Georgia football. What does that signify to you?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Football is different in the south. It's hotter in the south. Just the way we go about things in South Georgia is different. It's tougher I feel like. Football in South Georgia is different, and I guess I'm a product of it.
Q. With the rules now allowing iPads on the sidelines, how do you think that will help you? Is it too much information overload? What kinds of advantages or disadvantages do you see?
CARSON BECK: I actually didn't know that so that's my first time hearing that. I'm actually super excited about that. That's super cool. I think going back and watching film this past year, I almost wished that we did have iPads on the sideline because there's so many different situations that happened throughout a game, but when situations repeat, a lot of defensive coordinators end up going back to what worked before and they'll repeat calls. So being able to see those things and maybe even having like a little -- I guess you have one step or it feels like you might have one step on a defensive coordinator. If you see the look before if something doesn't go right, they might go back to it, which happened a lot in our games this past year. I think that'll be super cool to add that and be able to see that.
Q. In 2022 you were a backup in the National Championship game, and in '23 of course you were a 14-game healthy starter. Talk about your progression as a quarterback and being able to stay healthy, how important that is.
CARSON BECK: Yeah. I think when you have such a good offensive line, I think we have a very strong offensive line, one of the best in the country, if not the best in my opinion, it helps me to be able to stay healthy. But as far as the quarterback goes, I think over the course of last year, if you go look at game 1 and then you look at game 14, it's not even the same quarterback. Making the decision to come back this year, I'm excited to see what the progression from game 15 to whatever X amount of games we might play this year is going to look like. Each game more confidence gets built, and that repetition continues to happen, you just become more comfortable within your offense and with your teammates and during the game. Very excited to see that progression continue to unfold.
Q. A couple of your top targets from last season are in the NFL now, Brock and Ladd, among others. Who do you anticipate stepping up among the wide receivers and tight ends this season?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, I think there's so much depth on our offense and there's so much talent that there's not one or two names that I could really pronounce right now, which makes me excited as a quarterback. I'm very excited to see who those guys are going to be that step up and make those big time plays and those big time moments. We have a lot of big games coming up this year so who's going to step up, who's going to be that guy, who's going to be the go-to guy, or is there one? Is everybody going to contribute equally, which is kind of what we saw last year. There's a lot of guys that stepped up in different games and contributed. Super excited for the depth that we have and all the talent that we have on offense.
Q. For Oklahoma's football team and Oklahoma fans, can you describe how tough a road game is in the SEC for Oklahoma, and what is the toughest road game you've played in in the conference?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, obviously playing on the road in the SEC is very difficult. Every single game is going to be packed out. Being a top team in the country like we have been these past couple years, they're going to show up and they're going to give you your best. Every time we walk into a stadium we know they're going to give their best and we know that that stadium is going to be packed out. It's going to be loud. It's going to be difficult. There's going to be communication problems. But you handle that in practice. You practice that. Then once you get in the game, you're comfortable with it. But obviously, an SEC schedule is very difficult. I would say the hardest road game was my first one, was at Auburn. I'd never been on the road before as a starter. Obviously I had experienced road games from the sideline knowing how loud it is, but chase that. it's different when you're in the heat of it. When you're thrown into the fire and you have to be the one to distinguish the fire. I'd say Auburn was definitely -- it was very fun. I'll say that. Although difficult, very fun, and I definitely enjoyed playing at that stadium.
Q. Texas is another team joining the SEC and they're on your schedule. How much are you looking forward to welcoming them to the league, and then in the past in the Big 12 it was a penalty for horns down. The SEC that's not the case. Is that kind of popular horns down gesture something you and your teammates would like to utilize?
CARSON BECK: I think Coach Smart would be upset if we did that. We'll stay away from that one. But no, obviously we do have them on the schedule. I'm very excited to play -- I've never been there before. I've never visited, never seen it. So very excited to play them. Obviously a very talented team and obviously have a tough schedule coming up, and we have some big road games against some really talented teams in cool environments. I'm always excited to go on the road and experience someone else's environment, and I know we have a good schedule coming up. I'm excited about it.
Q. Bill Norton was a teammate of yours for a couple years at Georgia. I don't know if you still talk to Bill and how well you got to know him at Georgia. Just thoughts on Bill as a person and as a player, and what kind of player is Texas getting with Bill?
CARSON BECK: We had a pretty good relationship when I was at the University of Georgia. My first visit he was on his official with two other guys that he came in with initially, so that's actually one of the first people that I met at the University of Georgia. But I think he's a great player and he's a great guy. We always had a good time whenever we were together.
Q. You've got some ink on your left leg that says sky's the limit with a shuttle. Why did you go with that and what's it mean for you?
CARSON BECK: I think it's self explanatory for me, like sky's the limit is like there is no -- like as far as progressing and getting into where I want to be, there is no limit. So if you shoot for the sky, there is no ceiling. I feel like that's kind of how I try to approach my game and myself as a person is that if I say the sky is the limit, it's kind of self-explanatory. There isn't a limit. It's going to be never-ending progression. You're just constantly trying to
Q. Now having the experience that you have of being a starter in this league, any advice for other quarterbacks now coming into the SEC for the first time about what it takes to excel as a quarterback in this league?
CARSON BECK: I think the biggest thing is preparing. For me, what gives me confidence is my preparation. So if I prepare the right way on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, then I'm confident going into the game because I don't have anything to worry about. There's no flaws, there's no this. I might need to look for this or look for that, but I think having that preparation aspect is going to give you confidence once you go into the game because it's going to be difficult. It's not going to be easy no matter what week it is. You're playing a talented opponent with a coach that is going to have his players well prepared for you. They know your tendencies, they know the plays you run. You've got to be prepared for what they're about to bring at you. I would say preparation is the biggest thing that gives me confidence.
Q. Can you talk about the type of player Mykel Williams is and what he brings to the team?
CARSON BECK: Absolutely. Mykel is one of the most talented, gifted athletes that I've seen come through the University of Georgia, and that's a lot, given the guys that have come before him at his position. He's a top dog. He's going to make plays in the backfield. He's going to shed blocks. He's going to be able to pass rush. Him having that ability to play on every single down and have such an impact that he has is what makes him such a great player. Then beyond that, the guy that he is, the person that he is beyond the football field makes him even better in my opinion. No, he's a great guy.
Q. You're obviously a confident guy. How have you been able to balance that confidence year two as a starter Heisman Trophy candidate and not gotten overconfident at this point?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, for me I like to put my focus on the team around me and focus on what's actually important. When you focus on the team and you really put other people before yourself and you are selfless and you focus on your wide receivers, you focus on the O-line, you focus on the tight ends, you focus on the defense, you focus on the team as a whole, it kind of takes all that outside noise and pressure of these individual awards and individual statistics and it puts it on, okay, let's win this week and let's win the next week and so on, so forth, and when those things happen and you can focus on the team and everybody on the team is on that same mindset, that's when those individual kind of awards start to happen. Like I said, just focusing on the main thing and keeping that the main thing.
Q. Nick Saban was just talking about you on the SEC Network broadcast saying he knows you well from when you were committed there. How close were you to joining Alabama and what's your relationship like with Coach Saban?
CARSON BECK: Yeah, obviously I was committed there. I want to say it was my sophomore year of high school until just after my junior year going into my senior year is when I decommitted and committed to Georgia. I'd say I have a great relationship with Coach Saban, obviously one of the best if not the best college coaches of all time. His demeanor, the way he approaches the game, his intelligence level towards football, the respect that he demands from his players. I think we had a great relationship. Obviously I never got to experience him actually being a coach, but from what I've heard and what I was able to see in building a relationship with him, he's an amazing coach and an amazing person, as well.
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MALAKI STARKS
MALAKI STARKS: It's crazy, we've got a count down clock in the weight room, and I looked at it the other day and it was like 80 something days and now it's like 40 something. So it's crazy.
Q. What's it like working with Coach on the daily basis? What do you see that the public might not see?
MALAKI STARKS: He's intense. He's very intense, but he means well. He's very competitive. He's just a guy who wants to go out there and win and wants to bring the best out of you. That's one reason why I chose to come to Georgia, just to be around a guy like that.
Q. You've had such a high standard the past few years, how the Georgia Bulldogs have played. How do you get out of complacency and improve, especially as a defense?
MALAKI STARKS: I think just realizing complacency gets you passed up. If you're flat lining people who are consistently growing are going to passed you at some point, and the goal is not to get passed, just keep growing. I feel like especially on defense there's nothing you can't get better at, nothing you can't keep growing in, so that's the goal is just to keep growing day by day.
Q. Talk about the defensive identity; what are you most looking forward to this season and what can we expect out of the defense?
MALAKI STARKS: Just that competitiveness, just to go out there and be hungry, be who we are, be the standard of what Georgia was built on. I think that's the biggest thing. Another reason why I came to Georgia is to play defense. Georgia has always been that school, when you look at defense that's who you want to be, and we just want to go out there and be what we can be.
Q. Could you talk about the offense? Obviously with some quality pieces leaving, people have different expectations. What are the expectations for your team and what are you seeing in them early on?
MALAKI STARKS: Right. I think offense is doing great. They really are. The guys that came in like Trevor, Colbie, the transfers that we got, they've stepped up and they've taken a bigger part in the offense. I like to say that we don't rebuild, we reload, and those guys are doing a great job of stepping up and learning, so I'm excited to see what they can do.
Q. What do you notice from Carson Beck? Have you seen a step up in level of play from him?
MALAKI STARKS: I have, and I think that last year was really big for him. I think the thing for Carson is just to step up and be Carson. Just be himself. And I think he's starting to realize that. He's starting to get a lot more comfortable with his role of just being that guy, being that voice on the offense and on the whole team. Just him being himself is the biggest thing for him right now, and I think he's doing that very well.
Q. Who are some guys on the team that aren't be talked about that maybe should be and that could surprise some people this year?
MALAKI STARKS: I say his name every now and then, but I think Dillon Bell. I think Dillon Bell is that guy people need to watch out for. The way he works, the way he goes about his business. It's just incredible. Just to be able to compete with a guy like that is huge, so I'm excited to see what he does this season.
Q. Can you speak on the type of player that Mykel Williams is and what he brings to the defense?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah, I like to say Mykel is a generational talent, the things that he can do. He's very, very important to our defense. We wouldn't be the same without him. Just the type of guy that he is, I think that's the most important thing. He's a great guy and just his competitive spirit, just the way he goes about his business is huge, and I think that's why he gels so well in our defense. He's a big part of what we do.
Q. You all have been consistently atop the conference for the last handful of years. How much has the messaging remained the same, and with Nick Saban retiring has it changed at all?
MALAKI STARKS: Not really. We want to keep the standard the standard, and that's not to talk about games, go win them. I think that's the biggest thing for us, and we just want to be able to do what we know we can do and just keep doing it at the highest level.
Q. After an excellent All-American season you dealt with some injuries this off-season. How is your shoulder feeling, and mentally how are you feeling right now having dealt with some adversity in spring camp?
MALAKI STARKS: I'm feeling good. Surgery went well. My rehab is going good, and I think it's just going back to that phase of being able to trust myself again. Going through summer workouts and stuff, I'm gaining that trust back, and I feel really good. I'm excited for fall camp to hit.
Q. A guy like Cole Speer who's been in the program a couple of years and trying to work his way on to the field, how have you seen him grow and do you think he's someone that can make an impact to this team this season?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah. Cole is one of the leaders on this team, just the way he goes about his business, the way he puts his head down and works, great athlete. Cole is awesome. To see him kind of grow, and the role he's going to step into this season is going to be huge for him, and I'm excited to see what he does with it.
Q. With Texas and Oklahoma coming in and you guys having Texas on your schedule, how much are you looking forward to welcoming those teams into the SEC?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah, I'm excited. I feel like the SEC is if not the best conference you can play in, so just being able to compete with the best of the best, going down to Texas and just having a chance to go compete with those guys, I'm really excited. I think the main thing is it's just focusing on us right now and then we'll hit Clemson in a few weeks and take it day by day, game by game, but I'm excited.
Q. The Opener at Clemson, do you enjoy starting the season with games like that right off the bat?
MALAKI STARKS: Yeah, man, it's competitive, and as a competitor I love it. There's nothing better than facing a good team. We've got a bunch of good teams on our schedule, they just happen to be one of them, so I'm excited to see what we can do. One of my friends I went to high school with, Sammy Brown, is down there now, so it's going to be exciting to go back and forth with him.
Q. When you're at a place like Georgia, two National Championships in the past few years, probably at practice every day you're going to have some epic battles. Who's been your favorite person to go up against in practice and scrimmages this year?
MALAKI STARKS: I'd say Dom, Dominic Lovett. When he got here from Missouri, he was fitting into the culture and now he's one of those leaders on the team. Just his competitive spirit, which is why we go at it a lot. We all talk about the Missouri game, how he got him and he got me. We go back and forth and we keep tally who wins, so that's huge.
Q. OU and Texas is a storied rivalry. They play in a neutral site. What's it like, Georgia and Florida playing in Jacksonville, a neutral site?
MALAKI STARKS: I think it's huge, and that's something I didn't really understand when I was little, that neutral site of Georgia and Florida and everything that goes on there. But just being able to be in that game the last two years, just being in Jacksonville, it's huge. It's a different feeling. You get to the stadium, and you're in an NFL stadium, by the river, in Jacksonville, it's an amazing atmosphere to be in.
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MYKEL WILLIAMS
Q. Are you a technology guy when it comes to learning? This year the league is allowing iPads on the sideline during games. Carson didn't know that. How do you think that could help you or could it be information overload for someone like yourself?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I feel like that's really going to be a huge help for us, especially like in-game adjustments. That's where I feel like it's going to serve its most value, and I feel like I can't wait to use that. It's going to be exciting.
Q. Oklahoma is entering the SEC this season. What can they expect out of conference road games, and what's been the toughest road game that you've played in during your career?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I feel like Oklahoma should expect loud fans, loud stadiums, tough, hard-nosed, physical opponents, and just good games in the SEC. It's just tough in the SEC. I'd say my toughest road game probably had to be Auburn from last year. I went there, it was loud, they was very good at home, and when we played, it was a great game there at Auburn.
Q. What was the toughest quarterback you competed against last year and why?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Last year? That's a great question. It may have been Auburn because they were in a dual quarterback, a two-quarterback system, and both quarterbacks provided something different. Both of them could run. One of them was more of a passer, one was more of a runner. I believe it may have been Auburn.
Q. Talking with Coach Smart and Malaki, I was asking about Cole Speer, and he said how he's grown as a person and a leader, and Coach Smart mentioned how much of a locker room leader he is. What does he provide to this locker room, and do you see him playing a big role for this team this fall?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I do. He comes in with great energy. He's ready to work. That's what I like about him. I feel like he can come in and he's going to play this year, like he's going to have a great role and help us a lot.
Q. I'd love to hear about who else on the defensive line has been impressing you this off-season. Anybody you think could have a breakthrough among your teammates?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: We've got a variety of guys this year, especially with our young guys. We've got a lot of young guys that I feel like really the whole class we brung in, I feel like they can step up and play because they got here early and they learned a lot. They'll be able to help us. I feel like the main guys this year will be what it's been, like Christen Miller, Warren Brinson, Naz Stackhouse, Jordan Hall. All those guys that's been here, I feel like they're going to step up and make it happen this year.
Q. Do you remember your "welcome to Georgia Kirby Smart" moment where you're like, this is not Columbus anymore?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Oh, yeah. Broderick Jones. I rarely get pancaked, man, but Broderick Jones pancaked me and I was livid by it. I was highly upset.
Q. The standard is awful high at your school. Is that a challenge? Is that something you guys enjoy?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Yeah, we really appreciate having that standard here. It gives us something to grasp, something to aspire to, and the standard helps us play to our full potential and be who we're going to be.
Q. What have you done to become a better player, and what do you want put on display to the folks who haven't seen you yet?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I've been working constantly this offseason and proving my pass rush ability and my run stopping ability and also my flexibility period in having that ability to bend around corners and edges. I hope that goes on display this year.
Q. You were a very highly touted coming out of high school. You had options. What was it about Georgia that made them the right choice?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: The atmosphere I got when I went to a game that really changed my thinking process about how I thought about Georgia and how I felt about Georgia. Then actually letting them recruit me and seeing what they were about and how the culture was here and how connected everybody was and how everybody was team oriented and wanted to win. Everybody wanted the same goals. It really got me here.
Q. When you first arrived at Georgia, what was the complicated level of the defense? Is it something that takes you a while to learn? When did you feel you learned it, after that first year, year and a half?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: After my first spring year. It took me just spring. We've got a lot of defensive calls. We've got a huge defense, crazy package. But the way they break it down and install it to you and put everything in families, it makes it so simple and quick to learn. You really want to learn it, it's simple to learn.
Q. I'm curious, are you familiar with Oklahoma at all, their history, their tradition, or Brent Venables at all?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: I am familiar with Brent Venables. I remember he was the DC at Clemson, recruited me for a while, but I'm not too familiar with Oklahoma and their history, but I'm excited they're in the SEC, though. He's just a great coach, great defensive coordinator, great defensive mind.
Q. What is one personal goal that you have coming up this season, and what is the game plan to attain that?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: One personal goal that I have this year is to win, win a lot of games, and the game plan behind it is to go in week in and week out and do the things necessary to win.
Q. You're from Columbus. There's always a lot of talk about South Georgia football. What does that signify to you?
MYKEL WILLIAMS: Football is different in the south. It's hotter in the south. Just the way we go about things in South Georgia is different. It's tougher I feel like. Football in South Georgia is different, and I guess I'm a product of it.
