Star South Oak Cliff cornerback Malik Muhammad certainly has the family pedigree to make it big on the football field.

His cousin A.J. Green currently plays as a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns after a standout career at Oklahoma State, while another cousin, Jabbar Muhammad, is currently heading into his sophomore season as a cornerback at Oklahoma State.

“It’s really fun watching Jabbar and A.J. play,” Muhammad said. “A.J. and Jabbar are the ones who put me on to defensive back because I was a receiver first. They were the ones who taught me a little something about DB.”

As the third-oldest sibling of nine and one of only three boys, Muhammad now seeks to impart what his older cousins taught him to his younger brothers.

“I’m just leading by example,” Muhammad said. “Showing them hard work, being top 10 in the classroom, having the right mindset, being respectful, keeping God first. I’m just showing them what all it takes to be a star athlete on the field and off the field in the real world.”

Muhammad’s younger brothers have a pretty good role model when it comes to that. Heading into his junior year at South Oak Cliff, Muhammad reportedly has 38 Division I offers.

However, he nearly ended up plying his trade this year in Florida as he transferred to the IMG Academy last spring.

 “I really wanted to see what it was about; I wanted to see what the competition was about because I love competition,” Muhammad said. “I wanted to play with the best in the best facilities, and that’s really the reason I went to IMG.”

In late July though, Muhammad decided to return home and take the field for South Oak Cliff this season.

“I came back because I realized that I could do the same thing that I did at IMG here at South Oak Cliff,” Muhammad said. “I want to win a state championship. I want to come back and get developed by my original trainer. I want to do it for the hood, for South Oak Cliff.”

It’s set to be a busy fall for Muhammad. In addition to starring for the Golden Bears on the field, he also has tentative plans to visit several top college football games, including Alabama vs. LSU, possibly Texas A&M vs. Alabama, Texas vs. Oklahoma, Notre Dame vs. USC, and a Clemson or Ohio State game. Muhammad said that by attending these games, he can get the feel for two football programs in just one location.

When it comes to the recruitment process, Muhammad said he is extremely excited for all his offers and that there are plenty of schools that have caught his eye so far.

“Alabama is one of them, LSU is one of them, Georgia,” Muhammad said. “All the SEC schools and Big 12 schools. I’m excited to have every offer that I’ve got. Every offer means something to me. It’s just a blessing.”

Muhammad also hinted that there would be more clarity regarding his top schools in the near future.

“We’ll see after September 1,” Muhammad said. “Me and my dad are going to start narrowing it down, and a commitment might be coming soon.”

On the field for South Oak Cliff, Muhammad has a clear goal in mind: win the school’s first-ever state title. In the secondary, he has plenty of talent surrounding him as he sets out on that goal, including Arizona commit Kyron Chambers, four-star athlete Jayvon Thomas, and his cousin Abdul Muhammad.

“I got to make plays on the ball this year,” Muhammad said. “[Talent] doesn’t matter if we don’t make plays on defense. You got to make plays, you got to get stops, and we got to show that we’re the best.”

With 12 starters returning and 11 players that reportedly have Division I offers, the Golden Bears are favorites to win their district for the second-straight year. To Muhammad, it’s no surprise that there is so much potential Division I talent on the South Oak Cliff squad this year.

“Since Coach Todd got here, I’ve seen him make this program into something that I’ve never seen,” Muhammad said. “[The coaching staff] really knows football. They work hard. They are true developers. If you’ve seen kids when they were freshman to now, they’re whole different people,”

And while he continues to develop as a football player on the field, Muhammad has the desire to pursue a business degree off of it. He said he currently plans to study international business in college with a long-term goal of working in real estate investment and possibly starting his own restaurant franchise.

But until then, he is hungry and ready for another season of South Oak Cliff football.

“I just go out there telling myself that I got to go get it,” Muhammad said. “My motivation is I want to be great. I always wanted to be number one. That’s basically it.”