Kirby Smart offers high praise for Georgia freshman KJ Bolden
Georgia will begin preseason camp in the next couple of weeks with high hopes and expectations for Kirby Smart‘s ninth team in Athens. The Bulldog head coach has a long to-do list for the month of August and near the top is to find a safety to play along side All-American candidate Malaki Starks. Based on Smart’s comments on Tuesday at SEC Media Days, true freshman KJ Bolden has positioned himself to compete for that job.
When Nick Saban asked Smart about young players who might be able to help the Bulldogs in 2024, Smart quickly mentioned the former five-star prospect as a potential contributor. Bolden was singled out for more than just the raw talent that caused him to finish the 2024 recruiting cycle as the nation’s No. 1 safety.
“I think KJ Bolden has a chance to really help us out,” Smart said. “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. Like where he is right now is probably ahead of probably where Malaki (Starks) was at that time and Malaki was able play as a freshman. I’m excited about what KJ is gonna do.”
The On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that includes all four websites that publish recruiting rankings, Bolden was the No. 14 overall prospect in the nation and the top player in Georgia. Landing the Buford High School product helped Georgia finish No. 1 overall in the On3 Industry Recruiting Rankings for the 2024 cycle.
Bolden initially committed to Florida State in August of 2023 with many believing that UGA would be his pick. The Bulldogs never stopped recruiting him and convinced him to flip and sign with them in December. The big-picture timing couldn’t have been much better for Georgia or Bolden.
In other seasons Bolden might have to be content with waiting his turn. Seeing as how the Bulldogs have recruited as well as anyone in the country since Smart arrived, it’s not uncommon for a five-star prospect to sit a year or two before even getting an opening to compete for a key role. But Georgia needs help at safety right now.
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Smart confirmed during his SEC Network interview that David Daniel-Sisavahn‘s departure from the program is the result of a dismissal. Daniel-Sisavahn has played 328 defensive snaps for the Bulldogs over the past two seasons. Georgia’s experienced depth at the position takes a hit with him out of the program.
Dan Jackson, a walk-on, has gained a lot of experience over the past three seasons. JaCorey Thomas has very few defensive snaps under his belt over the past two seasons but took a step forward this spring. With Starks missing in action this spring due to shoulder surgery, those two got the bulk of the first-team reps and started with the No. 1 defense in the G-Day game. Alabama transfer Jake Pope is also in the mix for playing time and Justyn Rhett is entering his second season with the program. The Bulldogs also added Collin Gill, who spent the 2023 season at Oregon, from the transfer portal in June.
Bolden wasn’t the only true freshman Smart mentioned when answering Saban’s question. He also named Sacovie White as a potential contributor for the Bulldogs in 2024. He also made sure to point out how, due to the changes with the schedule and the College Football Playoff, young players will have a bigger role than ever.
“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 said. “So who can get those guys up to speed fast enough is going to be critical.”
