Bio

Malik Starks joined the Clarke University football staff in the summer of 2026 as the new defensive coordinator on Heath Zuck's staff.

Starks joins the Pride from fellow Heart of America Athletic Conference school Missouri Valley College where he spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons as the defensive backs coach and their defensive passing game coordinator.

While working with the Vikings, Starks was responsible for installing defensive game plans and pass coverages, helped install in-game adjustments to the defense, facilitated defensive scouting periods at practice, and led daily positional meetings to the results of lowering MVC's yard per game allowed mark from 403.6 in 2024 to 339.3 in 2025, finishing third in the Heart in takeaways, and he coached both Alon Woodbury and Kobe Windham to All-Heart honors. 

Prior to joining Missouri Valley, Starks spent two seasons with Oklahoma Panhandle State University as their associate head coach and defensive coordinator where he served a lot of the same roles defensively for the Aggies as the 2023 team finished second the entire NAIA in total takeaways, finishing the regular season with 31 total, combining 23 interceptions with eight fumble recoveries.

Starks began the decade at Juniata College in Huntington, Pa. working with outside linebackers, nickel corners, defensive backs, and eventually being named the defensive passing game coordinator from the 2020 season through the 2022 season with the Eagles leading NCAA Division III in blocked kicks during the 2021 season, three defensive players earned All Conference accolades during his tenure and 18 student-athletes earned All Academic honors in those three seasons.

Starting his full time coaching career at the high school level, Starks was the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for Paradise Honors High School in Surprise, Ariz.

Beginning his coaching journey as a student, Starks was a student assistant for Ottawa University-Arizona in 2018 assisting with the defensive backs, getting his feet wet assisting with practices, film breakdown, charting plays during games, and helping with the on-campus recuriting of student-athletes.