Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden 'knew' ahead of time that QB Dylan Raiola was committing to Georgia

Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle Five-Star Plus+ quarterback Dylan Raiola committed to Georgia on May 15. Before making his decision public, he let Buford (Ga.) Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden know he was headed to the Bulldogs.

“I definitely knew he was going to Georgia, but I just didn’t say anything,” Bolden told On3’s J.D. Pickell and Josh Newberg at the On3 NIL Elite Series presented by Mizuno. “He definitely had told me like a week before. That was definitely big news. It caught everybody else off guard, but I knew.”

Raiola, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking, is hoping Bolden joins him in Athens. The two were on an unofficial visit to Georgia together on the weekend of May 20.

Bolden shared that Raiola “calls me more than the coaches sometimes” and is treating him like a priority for Georgia’s 2024 recruiting class, which ranks No. 1 in the 2024 On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. The 6-foot-0, 185-pound recruit gets texts from Raiola every day about the Bulldogs.

“He was recruiting me when everybody crystal balled him to USC,” said Bolden, the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 1 safety in the On3 Industry Ranking. “He told me like, ‘Oh, no. I’m not going there. I’m going to Georgia.’ I was like, ‘Oh, that’s crazy.’ That’s when he started recruiting me. He’s been recruiting me for a minute now. It’s crazy.”

For more Georgia recruiting intel, check out DawgsHQ.

Bolden wants to see a ‘plan’ from Georgia on his official visit

According to Bolden, he has seen the Bulldogs 13 times. His 14th trip, an official visit, will come on the weekend of June 10 .

Per the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine, Georgia is leading for Bolden at 61.8%. In addition to the Bulldogs, the five-star has scheduled official visits to Clemson (June 2), Ohio State (June 17), Alabama (June 23) and Auburn (September 29).

On his upcoming trip to Georgia, Bolden knows exactly what he wants to see from head coach Kirby Smart and his staff.

“I just want them to come up with a plan for me,” Bolden said. “I want a three-year plan, for sure. A four-year plan is not bad, but I think I want a three-year plan. I definitely want to sit down with coach Kirby (to discuss) the three-year plan.”

Bolden currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $423K. He is paying attention to name, image and likeness, but it is not his main priority.

“In college, you’re going to get paid if you play well,” Bolden said earlier this week. “You have to pay your best players or they’re going to transfer. I choose NFL over NIL. Once you get there, you can go a lot farther. You do want to get paid, but shouldn’t focus on it too much.”