Seminoles Shocker! No. 1 safety KJ Bolden commits to Florida State
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Florida State’s recruiting momentum was already red hot following recent commitments from a five-star defensive back, four-star offensive lineman and a slew of other talented prospects.
On Saturday night, the Seminoles got the biggest one yet, as the nation’s No. 1 safety, KJ Bolden, announced he has committed to Florida State. Bolden is the No. 8-rated prospect in the nation regardless of position, and he chose FSU over Georgia, Auburn, Alabama and Ohio State.
“This last week has been crazy busy for me,” Bolden told On3′ Chad Simmons. “I have been on so many calls throughout the week and it’s been crazy. Over the last few days, I was down to Auburn, Florida State and Georgia. I went back and forth between those schools at different times before deciding Florida State was the right school for me. …
“It was tough, and I had a lot of conversations with family and people close to me before I made my final decision. I asked the Man above and He told me where I need to be.”
To land him, the Seminoles had to surpass perceived leaders in his recruitment, Georgia and Auburn, in the past few weeks. And Mike Norvell and his staff did just that.
“I definitely feel welcome here, every time I come up here,” Bolden said after his last visit to Florida State. “They always meet me at the door every time … they definitely rose their chances with me when I came down here. Definitely liking the school, definitely a lot right now for sure.”
Bolden had especially high praise for Norvell and Florida State secondary coach Patrick Surtain.
“Our bond is real tight. Coach Surtain, their recruiting pitch is like real,” he said. ”Like some schools, they’ll recruit you and they’ll be fake with it, like tell you stuff you want to hear even though it’s not true. But Coach Surtain, his recruiting pitch is definitely real. He’s gonna keep it real with you. And he’s been in the NFL. He knows a lot about the game, can teach you a lot, he taught me a lot of good things over the week.”
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The five-star safety has also talked extensively about Florida State being his childhood dream school.
“I feel like all my family members are all Florida State fans,” he said. “Going down there and bringing my family down there and seeing me as a part of the team that we all cheer for and experience the games live is a great feeling. That would be a crazy dream come true.”
Here’s more on Bolden talking about Norvell, Surtain and FSU leading up to the decision
For those who have not seen the five-star DB in action: Here’s a closer look at Bolden.
Stay tuned to Warchant.com for much more on the KJ Bolden commitment to Florida State.
More on Florida State’s 2024 Recruiting Class
For a deeper look into the Seminoles’ 2024 recruiting class player by player, check out their official On3 team commitment list. Find out where Florida State stacks up against the top teams in the country with On3’s Industry Ranking page.
If you’re not yet a Warchant subscriber, be sure to start your membership today! You won’t want to miss out on any of the latest FSU football recruiting coverage as the class of 2024 — and beyond — comes together.
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