Kirby Smart names KJ Bolden as impactful young contributor for Georgia

Kirby Smart things young pieces are going to matter more than ever with how long the season is becoming in college football. With that said, he got a chance to name some possible ones this year for Georgia, including one of their incoming five-star talents.

Nick Saban asked Smart about a prospect that could make an impact for the Bulldogs this fall while at SEC Media Days. It was difficult for him to initially pinpoint, though, with it being a projection of some of these underclassmen.

“Man, it’s hard to say because it’s speculation,” said Smart. “We’ve got a couple kids that I think are going to help us out.”

However, Smart’s eventual pick was KJ Bolden, a Top-15 overall prospect from the class of 2024.

For one, Georgia has plenty of opportunity at safety, especially after the news coming from out of the program earlier today. For two, Bolden has approached the start of his college career the right way to the point where Smart sees a ton of potential in him.

“At the safety position, we’re just not very deep,” Smart noted. “We’ve lost and had to dismiss David Daniel. So there’s opportunity there for somebody to step in and play.”

“I think KJ Bolden has a chance to really help us out. He’s athletic, he’s intelligent. He comes from a really good high school program. He got 15 practices in the spring and he approaches every practice like a veteran,” said Smart. “Like, where he is right now is ahead of, probably, where Malaki was at that time. Malaki was able to play as a freshman. I’m excited about what KJ has done.”

Bolden played his high school football at Buford as an in-state talent for Georgia. He was a Five-Star+ prospect there as the No. 14 overall recruit in this past cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. With that, he rated as the top safety in the class and the best player from out of the state.

Bolden eventually flipped to the ‘Dawgs from Florida State among other interest including Auburn, Alabama, and Ohio State. His addition is part of their No. 1 class with him being the third-highest rated signee behind only CB Ellis Robinson IV and LB Justin Williams.

With the campaigns only getting longer, depth, and talented depth at that, is as important ever. That’s why developing players, such as Bolden, to be ready to contribute is a focus for a coach like Smart.

“Those young players? They’re going to play now more than they ever have because of the physicality of our league and the number of games,” Smart explained. “Who can get those guys up to speed fast enough is going to be critical.”