Five-Star Safety KJ Bolden flips to Georgia

Five-star safety KJ Bolden of Buford (GA) High flipped his commitment from Florida State to Georgia Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-1, 185 pounder had been committed to the Seminoles since August.

“I chose Georgia because I wanted to be developed and compete with the best of the best.”

The Peach State safety joins coach Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs’ No. 1 2024 class. He is accompanied by five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, five-star linebacker Justin Williams, and others.

KJ Bolden Recruiting Profile 

Bolden ranks as the No. 13 player according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He also tabs in as the No. 1 safety and the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia.

Scouting Summary

On3’s Scouting and Rankings Team writes about him as a college recruit:

“One of more versatile athletes in the 2024 cycle with considerable upside as a safety. Measured in at 6-foot, 185 pounds prior to his senior season. Has good length with 32-inch arms. Posted strong track marks as a high school underclassman with a personal best of 10.76 seconds in the 100 meters. Also tests well in the combine setting. Plays both ways for Georgia powerhouse Buford High as a receiver and defensive back. Projects as a defensive back and likely at safety long-term, where his combination of athleticism and length makes him one of the nation’s best. Flashes outstanding play speed on Friday nights. Closes quickly with physicality in defending the flats. Has shown good deep range in coverage both on Friday nights and in 7-on-7. Played a bunch of offense as a junior. Shows good playmaking ability and overall athleticism on that side. While his ball skills are good for a safety, they would need to improve were he to play offense in college. Has not replicated his impressive track times later in his high school career. Has a relatively smaller sample size relative to some of his highly-touted peers on defense heading into his senior season.”

He currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $384K. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV). The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.