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Five-star Florida State commit KJ Bolden arrives at Georgia

Jeremy Johnsonby:Jeremy Johnson•09/16/23•

JeremyO_Johnson

KJ Bolden 1 copy 1
Photo by Chad Simmons/On3

Buford (Ga.) five-star safety KJ Bolden has made his appearance at Georgia’s SEC opener against South Carolina.

The No. 9 overall prospect in the On3 Industry rankings for the class of 2024 committed to Florida State back on Aug. 5 over the in-state Bulldogs.

Georgia has continued to pursue Bolden. The Bulldogs were one of the programs on the table for Bolden on commitment day.

He’s been to Georgia 14 times throughout the duration of his recruitment. Today marks visit number 15.

Bolden is with a contingency of Buford stars including five-star Georgia quarterback commit Dylan Raiola.

Also joining Bolden from Buford are 2025 athlete Jordan Allen, 2026 cornerback Nasir McCoy and Dayton Raiola.

Georgia has always made Bolden a priority.

“Georgia definitely made me a top priority,” Bolden said back in July. “I think I’ve been there 16 times. It’s crazy. Every time I go up there, coach Kirby makes sure to have a meeting with me. Coach Fran (Brown) and coach (Will) Muschamp all sit me down and talk about the defense and how they’re going to use me. Georgia is definitely a top priority for me.”

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart was heavily involved in recruiting Bolden. He and the Bulldogs’ head coach connected throughout the process.

He has always thought highly of Smart’s coaching style.

“There is a different flavor,” Bolden said in July. “At the end of the day, he’s going to be your coach but he’s not just trying to be your coach. He wants to be like one of your friends and you can talk to him every day, like a brother.”

On3 Evaluation for KJ Bolden…

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. Bolden 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.

Bolden lashes 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.

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