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KJ Bolden on new leadership role at Georgia: 'I pray for moments like this'

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•about 13 hours•

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KJ Bolden
Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden (4) during Georgia’s game against Tennessee Tech on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (Conor Dillon/UGAAA)

ATHENS, Ga. — Less than two years ago KJ Bolden broke Georgia fans’ hearts by picking Florida State. He flipped to the Bulldogs several months later and now, after one season of college ball, he’s the most experienced player at his position. He’s a leader now and he likes it.

Bolden enrolled at Georgia approximately 15 months ago with two veterans — Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson — in front of him. Due to some injuries and his own undeniable talent, Bolden still piled up over 550 defensive snaps. Now he’s the most experienced safety on the roster and has stepped into a leadership role, one he has always wanted.

“I would say I feel a little weird, but I really don’t,” Bolden said on Tuesday. “I pray for moments like this, to just be a leader in one of the rooms at Georgia. So just being able to take over that leader role, just pushing the guys every day, becauseI know what the standard is here. And I know what the standard is gotta be, so let’s go all the way. So just, I don’t know, it feels great though, for sure.”

The Buford High School product was Georgia’s fifth leading tackler during his freshman season. Each of the four players who finished ahead of him played at least 70 more snaps than he did. Bolden had 59 stops (40 solo), two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup. He also picked off one pass on the year.

He made one of the biggest plays of the season in the SEC Championship game. When Georgia brought heavy pressure on third down in overtime, putting Bolden in a situation where he was one-on-one in space to make a tackle, he got the job done. That forced Texas to settle for three points and Georgia won it on the ensuing possession with a touchdown.

Asserting yourself as a great player is a great first step toward becoming a leader, but Bolden is just a sophomore. It’s tough for a player to lead if that player can’t also teach and be a resource to the players around him. Bolden took some intentional steps toward expanding his knowledge of the defense this offseason.

“I went up to the top with the coaches, just went over the playbook. Like things I didn’t know last year about the playbook, just things I could just work on,” Bolden said. “And just asking for tips and stuff like that, asking some of my older guys like Mal and Dan, Malaki and Dan. Just like how I should approach it, how do I come about it? And I feel like they gave me great ideas on how I should do it.”

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