East Northport's Preston Carey excited to play for Georgia with eyes on NFL future
The no-nonsense, towering defensive lineman — he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs nearly 300 pounds — has been the talk of the sport after recently committing to the University of Georgia inside a wing of the North Shore's lavish Oheka Castle, filled to the brim with a few hundred of his diehard fans.
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'I had a full scholarship offer from Georgia since eighth grade — and I believe another five other schools at the time. I would go to college football camps at that point, and just dominate ninth- to 12th-grade talent,' the soon-to-be Bulldog told The Post.
'Georgia believed in me since Day 1. … I was looking for the next big step, and Georgia was 100 percent that next big step,' added the 18-year-old, who narrowed his 50-something offers to UGA, Florida, Auburn and Rutgers.
The big man, who said his favorite part of football is 'the aggression … and dominating your opponent,' added that his life's M.O. is accomplishing challenge after challenge to reach that next level.
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Carey started on varsity as a freshman for prestigious St. Anthony's High School and led the Friars to a 27-20 state-title win over Buffalo's St. Francis High School in 2022.
He credits the strict but caring South Huntington Catholic academy for giving him 'a great base' of discipline and motivation both on and off the field, as St. Anthony's students are held to a higher standard than most.
'A passing grade there is a 75, not 65 — so you have to be locked in for every class,' Carey said.
4 Preston Carey helped lead St. Anthony's to a 27-20 state-title win over Buffalo's St. Francis High School in 2022.
Preston Carey
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'It definitely builds callus.'
Stunt on 'em
After two years, Carey took his talents to the prestigious IMG Academy in Florida, which has produced NFL talent such as Giants offensive lineman Evan Neal and Jets safety Andre Cisco — a Long Islander who also played at St. Anthony's before transferring to the Sunshine State school.
'It was easy for me. I would pack a bag up and go anywhere if it was beneficial for my career,' said Carey, who considers himself a Friar alumnus after 'a great two years.'
4 Long Island-based high school football standout, Preston Carey, who recently committed to Georgia, works out at Peak Training on July 9, 2025, in Deer Park, NY.
Corey Sipkin for New York Post
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'When that came about, it was just a 'yes' for me, no matter what. Thinking about who I was leaving behind, everything else was an afterthought. … It was a business decision.'
Carey soon soared with the IMG national team and developed a strong social media presence with several thousand followers keeping tabs on the young man's belligerent style of play.
He has one more fall season at IMG before redshirting for Georgia in December at playoff time.
Throughout his recruiting process, Carey said he's been in constant communication with Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott, who has already been passing on advice to the youngster.
4 Preston Carey
Preston Carey
'He keeps it real 100 percent through and through, and tells me what I do best and what I need to do better — and what it takes to get to that level of becoming one of those first-rounders,' Carey said.
Got that dawg in him
Like other years, Carey is spending his summer mornings — 6 a.m. sharp — at Peak Training System in Deer Park under the tutelage of Golden Ukonu, an offensive lineman who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans in 2016.
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After five hours in the take-no-prisoners gym he has trained at since middle school, Carey throws on gloves for MMA and boxing training.
4 Preston Carey
Corey Sipkin for New York Post
'As a defensive lineman, you're basically boxing. You're using your hands to fight,' he said. 'Lots of hand-eye coordination, lots of quick feet.'
Regarding mental preparation, Carey is keeping focused on being the best football player he can be, but is also enthusiastic about NIL opportunities — specifically as a way to give back to his family for its relentless support of his dream.
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Still, the thought of prospectively appearing in the video game 'NCAA Football 27' puts a smile on his face.
'It's gonna be crazy,' Carey said. 'It's all a blessing.'
He's looking to use his time in the SEC for an even bigger achievement in hearing his name called at the NFL draft some years from now.
'It's a goal, not a dream,' he said, 'because I'm working toward it every day.'
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New York Times
34 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ravens rookie Malaki Starks was a ‘nobody from nowhere' who always envisioned this moment
There were hardships, for sure. There was a period when Malaki Starks didn't know where he would sleep at night. His cousin, his best friend in the world, was killed in a double murder-suicide at a young age. Another cousin, who Starks maintains is the best athlete from his hometown, got caught up in the system. A friend and former high school teammate was the victim of gun violence. Advertisement For Starks, the road out of Jefferson, Ga., was littered with pitfalls and potholes. Yet, there was also great comfort in seeing the same faces, eating at the same restaurants and stopping at the same gas station. Amid the rhythm of growing up in a small town, Starks had ample opportunity to dream big. 'You only know what you see in life,' Starks said. 'My first time ever seeing a plane was my first away game in college. My first time going to a beach was my freshman year in college. My vision of the world was so short, but my mind was so big, so I was able to adapt to the things that I saw. 'That helped me on the football field, just with being adaptable, being able to play different spots, being able to be here so somebody else could be there.' .@StarksMalaki was made for this 😤 — Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 4, 2025 Barely three months into his NFL career, the Ravens' 21-year-old rookie safety already looks, talks and acts like a veteran. Fellow Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who has made two Pro Bowls in his three NFL seasons, says Starks is 'miles ahead' of where he was as a rookie. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr compared Starks to former Baltimore linebacker C.J. Mosley, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and had a standout 10-year career. Long before Starks became an NFL first-round pick, he envisioned this exact scenario playing out. He's been preparing for this his whole life. 'As long as I've known him, his dream has always been to do this,' said Starks' fiancee, Savanna Jackson, who first met him in elementary school. The first time Starks ever touched the ball in a youth football game, he was so scared to get hit that he ran backward for 15 yards and then directly out of bounds. On his second carry, he sprinted in the right direction, crossing the goal line with his chest puffed out about 20 yards ahead of the kids chasing him. When it came to sports, he's always been a quick study. Advertisement He helped the Jefferson High School football and basketball teams reach the state championship, and he was one of the stars of the track and field team that won a state crown. A heralded recruit, Starks traveled about 20 miles south to play college football at the University of Georgia, becoming the rare prospect to start as a freshman for an SEC powerhouse. In his very first NFL practice, Starks lined up as a starter on a defense with six players who had been named to a Pro Bowl. The Ravens were so enamored with him heading into the draft that their interest was widely talked about around the league, a rare development for an organization that treats draft intel as a matter of national security. Starks may have sealed the deal with an engaging interview at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. 'One of the most impressive interviews we've ever had,' Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. The reality was that the Ravens loved everything about Starks. They loved his athleticism, coverage and ball skills, and his versatility. They loved how he led and communicated. And they loved his story. It was a perfect match between player and team. 'He's actually as good as advertised,' said Gene Cathcart, Starks' football coach at Jefferson High. 'There's not a skeleton in the closet. There's not a thing that we exaggerate. It's just a great opportunity to see something great for someone who really, really deserves it.' Starks still remembers the quizzical looks from players and coaches during the recruiting process. 'You're from where?' they'd ask. 'Jefferson, Georgia,' Starks would say. 'Where?' they'd repeat. 'Close to Atlanta,' Starks would respond. 'I was a nobody from nowhere,' Starks said. 'Nobody knew who I was. Nobody knew where I lived. I embraced that. A lot of people see that as adversity, and it kind of knocks them down. I took it all as a challenge. That's something I don't have to live with anymore.' Advertisement Jefferson, with a population of under 18,000, is the quintessential small southern town. Everybody knows everybody. Everybody is a neighbor. The town comes alive on Friday nights during football season, and that was especially true when Starks was at Jefferson High, playing on both sides of the ball and making highlight-reel plays look routine. 'He was basically The Beatles in this town,' Cathcart said. 'You saw (No.) 24 jerseys all over town, even in high school. You still do. Youth night was like a coronation of Malaki Starks.' 'Malaki,' said Shane Sorrow, his former youth football coach, 'is like Jefferson's sweetheart.' Sorrow initially wanted to turn 6-year-old Malaki away from his team. Sorrow already had 29 kids, and that was more than enough to manage. However, he went to high school with Starks' father, Larry, and the director of the rec program pushed for Sorrow to create an opening. 'Trust me,' the director said. 'You're going to want this kid.' Starks immediately showed that he was the best athlete on the field. Yet, it took a while for Sorrow and his staff to come to grips with a paradox about Starks' game. As a defender, Starks loved to hit people. As a ball carrier, he shied away from any semblance of contact. Most of the time, that hardly mattered. Nobody could catch him anyway. 'As long as Malaki was on the field, you felt like you were going to win the game,' Sorrow said. 'That's just how it was.' At first, Starks wasn't comfortable with the idea that his athletic exploits were putting him on a pedestal. He was always quick to greet coaches and teammates with a hug, but he didn't say a whole lot to begin with. He was most vocal when he was admonishing his play. His youth coaches begged Starks to stop being so hard on himself. Starks rarely would ask for help, either, at a time when he was dealing with more grief and heartache than any young kid should. 'We always talked in our house about appreciating the blessings you get,' Starks said. 'Whenever you think you got it bad, somebody else somewhere has it 10 times worse. Just really take everything as a blessing and trusting in God and his plan.' Keion Gresham was nearly two years older than Starks, but Starks' success on the football field helped convince Gresham to take up the sport and wear the same No. 24. They were cousins, yet they might as well have been brothers. Starks was 6 when Gresham and his half-brother, Keionte, were killed by their father, who then killed himself. The tragedy forced Starks to 'grow up fast' and impacted his outlook on life. Advertisement 'You don't really know what else to do other than to act as if it happened for a bigger purpose,' Jackson said. 'What he wanted to do was to take his cousin through this journey as much as he could. That was a huge motivator for Malaki to make it out. He just wanted to be the one to do that for both of them. When you carry a weight like that, you're a little more motivated than the person next to you.' There were other challenges. Larry and Tisha Starks worked tirelessly and did all they could, but there wasn't enough money coming in to maintain a stable home for Malaki and his older sister, Mariah. The family moved around during Starks' third- to sixth-grade years and didn't have a steady home to call their own. They stayed in a motel before that became prohibitive financially. They moved in with a family friend, but they didn't want to overstay their welcome. They then moved in with an aunt. Cathcart credits Starks' parents for using adverse events as 'teachable moments' for their kids. 'You have to be able to adapt,' Starks said. 'It taught me a lesson. We stayed grounded in our faith, and that kind of led us through the whole process and what we needed to do and who we wanted to be in life.' Starks didn't grow comfortable talking about being homeless until years later. It's not necessarily that he was embarrassed by it. He was just always taught to appreciate what he had, not sweat what he didn't. Few people in Jefferson knew about the family's struggles, even though Jefferson was a tight-knit and supportive community, and Starks had a cadre of coaches and teammates willing to help. Larry and Tisha certainly weren't looking for anybody's pity. Tisha made sure her kids stayed on the right path, while Larry worked as many hours as he could. Starks said watching his father put his head down and work day and night taught him what it means to be a leader. Starks put those lessons into action, both in the community, where he worked at a local rec center and helped mentor kids, and on the football field. Advertisement Cathcart gets emotional as he tells the story about leaving his players one day during a game week to visit a relative who was at an out-of-state alcohol treatment center. Starks, a sophomore at the time but already one of the team leaders, noticed Cathcart wasn't at practice and pressed an assistant coach for an explanation. That night, Cathcart got a message from Starks. 'He was like, 'Coach, I just want you to know that everything went great today. The meetings were fine. We'll be ready to play,'' Cathcart recalled. 'Here's a guy who needed to do no butt kissing, no sucking up. But that's just him. There's just story after story like that.' Cathcart has a picture prominently displayed in his home of Starks consoling Devon Gales after Jefferson's loss in the state championship game. Gales was the former Southern University football player who was paralyzed during a 2015 game against Georgia. Gates spent time around the Jefferson team during the season, and it was Starks who made sure Gates had entry to the locker room, got on the bus and got back to his car safely. Even after he graduated from Jefferson High and started his career at Georgia, Starks made the short trip home whenever he felt he was needed. When his ex-teammate and workout partner Elijah DeWitt was shot and killed in 2022, Starks returned to Jefferson to honor his friend and mourn with DeWitt's family. 'The week before he passed, I sent him a text,' Starks said. 'I was like, 'Hey, man, you're special. You have such great talent. Stay out of the way, keep working and I'll see you in a few years. We're going to meet at the top.' He texted me back and said, 'OK, I got you. I love you.' 'He was special. It was very hard for me, just to see the potential that he had as a person.' Starks and Jackson became boyfriend and girlfriend in the fourth grade. Two years later, Starks attended one of Jackson's soccer games and met her parents. Afterward, they all went out to dinner at an upscale seafood restaurant. 'I'm looking at the menu and I don't know how to pronounce any of the words. I didn't know any of this food,' Starks said. 'They ordered calamari, and I was like, 'What's calamari?' They were like, 'It's octopus.' And I said, 'I ain't eating that.'' Advertisement Starks did wind up eating it, and he enjoyed it. Now, Jackson says he orders calamari in just about every restaurant they go to. Starks and Jackson are engaged to be married in March 2026, but that may have been the night he won his fiancee's parents over. They marveled at how Starks, after receiving his entree first, waited until everybody else got theirs before he started eating, an advanced display of manners for a sixth grader. For Starks, the night was one of many during his upbringing that opened his eyes to what else is out there. 'Experiences stick with kids,' he said. 'It gives them a different type of drive to say, 'Hey, I was here one day. I know I can get there. Let me figure out how to do it.'' Starks has already pondered how he can get involved in his new city and give kids experiences he never had. For now, though, his unwavering focus is on the field. When Starks got the call from DeCosta that the Ravens were drafting him with the 27th pick, he was in the middle of an Uno game with his family. There was no outward display of emotion. This, after all, is what Starks had long envisioned. One of the first questions Starks asked of the Ravens was when he could get his playbook. 'We're from a super small town,' Jackson said. 'You don't really see a lot of people leave the town. You don't necessarily see people set these big dreams and accomplish these dreams. That's the mindset that allowed him to get to where he is.' Starks worked quickly to embrace his new team and new home. During his first minicamp in May, he took it upon himself to arrange walk-throughs for the other rookies at the team hotel after practices. Coaches and players have raved about his leadership qualities and how quickly he's picked up the defense. Starks could make his debut in Thursday night's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts. Advertisement 'He has passed every test, but there are more tests to come,' Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. When Starks met with his financial adviser, he said he wanted to make just one notable purchase and invest the rest of his money. The recipient of a four-year, $16.5 million deal, Starks had an apartment in Baltimore and a car. His parents moved into a new home last year. Starks, though, needed a coffee table for his apartment. Everything else could wait. He's been preparing for this his entire life. He doesn't want to rush a thing. 'I don't see this as pressure. I think it's a privilege,' Starks said. 'When I was growing up, I didn't have anybody like myself to look at that came from my spot. Everyone that I saw fell back into the system. You don't really make it out. I'm just trying to be my best self every day and give the most effort I can. I'm trying to do things the right way and be a child of God. That's what led me here.' Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Associated Press
34 minutes ago
- Associated Press
A year after fame found him in Paris, Stephen Nedoroscik, aka 'Pommel Horse Guy,' is back for more
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The glasses haven't gone anywhere. And they aren't going anywhere. The same goes for Stephen Nedoroscik's hair, which remains a bit of a floppy, curly brown mess. Nor, insists the gymnast who became forever known as 'Pommel Horse Guy' after winning a pair of bronze medals in Paris, has his devotion to the discipline that made him one of the breakout stars of the 2024 Olympics faded in the least. While Nedoroscik leaned into the fame, most notably a long run on 'Dancing With the Stars' last fall, followed immediately by a stint co-hosting the show's national tour, he never once considered putting away his grips for good and trying to go Hollywood full-time. Sorry, that was never the point of all this. Three months ago, Nedoroscik walked back through the doors of EVO Gymnastics in Florida and quietly went back to work. And when the U.S. Championships begin on Thursday night, he'll hop onto the event that, at 26, he remains in some ways obsessed with after all these years and begin again. 'At the end of the day, I am a gymnast and I blew up for being a gymnast,' Nedoroscik said. 'And I have sort of a mindset where I don't really want to be famous. I get, like, anxiety. So it's like I kind of accept the fact that having this moment was amazing, but eventually that wave will end.' In a way, Nedoroscik hopped off before he had a chance to be pushed. He's well aware of the tropes of all the teen movies where the main character starts off as an outcast of sorts, then one flash of talent, one splash of popularity, and one makeover montage later, they emerge as a different person. He had no interest in sticking to that script, though the lure is certainly intoxicating. When he drilled his dismount at Bercy Arena during the men's team final last July to clinch the biggest international medal by the U.S. men's gymnastics program since the 2008 Olympics, he didn't think it would lead to a spot on 'The Tonight Show,' with host Jimmy Fallon rapping a song on how to spell his name. The only contestant in 'Dancing With the Stars' two-decade run to incorporate a pommel horse into a dance routine didn't imagine being a fixture on national television for two months either. Yet that happened too. Quickly followed by weeks crisscrossing the country as one of the faces of the show's annual tour. While he appreciated the support, the messages to his Instagram account that cut through the noise the most weren't the ones talking about the way he navigated a ballroom floor, but from mothers who saw Nedoroscik and his American teammates triumph in Paris and decided it was time to sign their sons up for a sport that always seems to be fighting for its survival. 'Like that's what it's all about, honestly, because this is a great sport,' he said. 'And I think it's the best sport, especially for hyper kids like I was.' That almost relentless energy hasn't gone anywhere. Sharing a stage with Olympic teammates on Wednesday afternoon, Nedoroscik leaned over to Brody Malone and asked how his hair looked. When Malone responded 'disgusting' in the kind of good-naturedly sarcastic tone that has been the love language of guys everywhere for eons, Nedoroscik's laugh echoed throughout the room. It's one of the many reasons Nedoroscik is happy to be back to what passes for his normal. He understands competing just three months after returning to training might be asking a bit much of his body. The early weeks in the gym were humbling and eye-opening. Yet interspersed with the aches and pains were the occasional reminders that yeah, he's still pretty good at this. How good? Well, that's one of the reasons the Worcester, Massachusetts, native is already pointing toward the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. There's a chance his best gymnastics might still be ahead of him. 'I love to just push myself as far as I can go and I love to ride this wave, like right on the edge of possibility and like, 'Am I gonna just die out there?'' he said. 'But I do it for the thrill and I do it for the love of the sport, so I want to keep going.' While keeping it real at the same time. Asked how he stayed grounded as his profile soared, he shrugged. While his number of followerson social media has swelled to over a million, his head remains in very much the same place. 'I do think it is sort of my inherent nature to just stick true to myself,' he said. 'I don't really try to put up a fake face in any situation that I'm in and I think so long as I do that, I am not going to change.' ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bucs' Teddy Bridgewater reflects on suspension from coaching Miami Northwestern High: 'Those players became my sons'
Teddy Bridgewater retired from the NFL in 2023 after 10 seasons, in part to focus on his two sons. In his eyes, he inherited many more when he took over as the head coach of his alma mater, Miami Northwestern High School, in his native South Florida. "I'm protective, and I'm a father first before anything," a now-32-year-old Bridgewater told reporters Wednesday during his first media appearance since signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this week. "When I decided to coach, those players became my sons. And I want to make sure that I just protect them in the best way that I can." [Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season] Being what Bridgewater calls "a cheerful giver" unfortunately ran him into trouble with the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). Bridgewater revealed on Facebook in July that he covered Uber rides, meals and recovery services for his players last season, a year that culminated in Miami Northwestern winning a Florida Class 3A state championship. In that post, Bridgewater asked fans to donate and help him take care of those expenses this time around. Word apparently got to the FHSAA, and then Miami Northwestern had to respond, ultimately suspending Bridgewater from coaching for allegedly providing impermissible benefits to his players. Bridgewater, who initially unretired from the NFL to rejoin the Detroit Lions late last season, is spending the 2025 season in the Bucs' quarterback room as a veteran voice and experienced backup. The former first-round draft pick reflected Wednesday on his suspension from Miami Northwestern, and on his motivation behind doing what he did to help his players last year. "Not enough blessings in tough neighborhood, and sometimes things can happen when kids are walking home and different things like that," Bridgewater said. "I just try to protect them, give them a ride home instead of them having to take those dangerous walks. But I just want people to continue to see me for the person that I've been, from the time I arrived in the NFL, from the time that I arrived at the University of Louisville. Just a humble guy with a good heart and a cheerful giver." According to the U.S. News & World Report, 75% of students at Miami Northwestern are considered "economically disadvantaged" and 72% qualify for the "Free Lunch Program" under the National School Lunch Act. Bridgewater was asked Wednesday about the possibility of changes to FHSAA rules. "I guess in due time those changes will happen," he said. "But until then, man, I can't change who I am because of the rules. I have a big heart. I get it from my mom. And I just always said that I was once those kids. I know what it's like to be in their shoes. I know what it's like to walk those halls at Miami Northwestern and to have your stomach growling and rumbling at 12 o'clock in the afternoon because you didn't have any lunch money or you don't get the free lunch. So I can't change who I am. I'll still give to those kids just because, man, I know what it's like. When I say 'give,' it's not even about money. It's about my time and my presence. Because a lot of times you see your idol on TV and it's like, 'Man, I wonder what it's like to be that person.' But when they see me in the flesh, and they see how I'm an open-spirited person and I'm happy I'm around them and they fit right in with me and I fit in with them — it's just hope." When Bridgewater mentioned "hope," he was referring to the source of inspiration he feels he provides to students at Miami Northwestern. He called his experience with those kids as "the way that I feed my soul." "I think now that I'm back in the league, there's actually going to be extra motivation for them as well because they'll play a game on Friday night and probably get to drive across the state and come watch the Bucs win and see coach on the sidelines," Bridgewater said. "So it's like, 'Man, Coach is just continuing to just serve as motivation and continuing to influence us in every way possible. He's showing us that he can make it to the NFL. He's showing us that he can coach, he's showing us that there are different avenues of life that you can take.' And I'm hoping that they take notice of that."
