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LOOK: Georgia drops in to see five-star plus+ FSU commit KJ Bolden

Palmber-Thombsby:Palmer Thombs•12/07/23•

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KJ Bolden
KJ Bolden / Twitter

Five-star plus+ Florida State commit KJ Bolden is still being pursued by the best in the country, and that includes his home state school. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart and co-defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who spends his time with Bolden’s safety position in Athens, dropped by on Thursday to check in with the Buford product.

The Bulldogs were in the thick of things for Bolden’s commitment back in August. The consensus No. 1 safety in the country and No. 10 overall prospect according to the On3 Industry Ranking, Bolden ended up choosing Florida State over Georgia and Auburn among others.

Bolden spent his senior season playing alongside a pair of Georgia commits. Five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola transferred to Buford while 2025 linebacker Jadon Perlotte was already there. Bolden was on the receiving end of 14 Raiola touchdown passes, and both have absolutely remained in his ear about the Bulldogs.

Bolden also made a trip over to Athens to check the Bulldogs out for himself. He was on hand to see Georgia defeat South Carolina before catching the Bulldogs in action again at Auburn, as an official visitor of the Tigers. Prior to his decision in August, Bolden had taken numerous visits to the Classic City including an official visit in June.

KJ Bolden Scouting Report

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. 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. Flashes 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. – Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting

Georgia also isn’t the first school to make the trip to check in with Bolden though, and they likely won’t be the last ahead of the December 20th Early Signing Day. Auburn coach Hugh Freeze made a stop at Buford before going in home with Bolden earlier in the week. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see Mike Norvell and Florida State make a trip either.

As for where else Georgia coaches have been, social media shows that the Bulldog staff has been all over the country to see commits including Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, Justin Williams, Nitro Tuggle and Ryan Puglisi. As things stand, Georgia sits with the No. 1-ranked class for 2024 with 28 players currently committed.

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