Relationship years in the making pays off for Kirby Smart in recruitment of KJ Bolden

ATHENS, Ga. — You heard the KJ Bolden side of things on Wednesday when he made the announcement that he was flipping to Georgia. After his signature was in officially, Kirby Smart was able to speak on the five-star plus+ safety too and share his perspective on the recruitment.

For Bolden, the relationship with Smart certainly seemed to be a deciding factor, and it’s one that Smart said was years in the making.

“I mean, we did what we do on every kid. I mean, we recruited,” Smart said when asked for the ‘short version’ of the story behind Bolden’s recruitment. “I met KJ Bolden and his mom his ninth-grade year in the indoor and sat and talked to them for 45 minutes and just had a great appreciation for her and him. He was a young kid then. He actually had worked out at our camp as a wideout, and we knew that he was a really talented young man. And from that point on, I mean, I bet he’s been on this campus 20 or 30 times between coming over here for different events and 7-on-7s.”

Many thought that that relationship would be the difference back in August when Bolden was announcing a commitment. Instead, he chose Florida State. Still though, Smart stayed consistent with his pursuit of Bolden – in the same way he would any other player of that caliber. The two talked regularly. Bolden visited Georgia. Smart visited Buford. And in the end, it was enough to sway Bolden to flip his commitment.

“There was no different recruitment for KJ. It was just consistent and a mutual respect probably is the right word, you know? I reached out to him when he committed elsewhere and just told him that I had a lot of respect for him and we weren’t going to stop recruiting him and that we thought this was the best place for him,” Smart shared on National Signing Day. “I’ve always learned — Andrew Thomas’ parents taught me that consistency is the key. We were very consistent every time [KJ] was here. And, you know what, it worked out. It doesn’t always work out, but it worked out in this case and we’re not going to change our method of how we go about things.”

As far as the player Georgia is getting with Bolden, Smart knows it’s a special one. Bolden is one of just 14 players in the country considered a five-star by all four of the recruiting ranking services. He’s the No. 1 player for his position and the top-ranked prospect out of the state of Georgia, something that Smart always enjoys securing.

“I saw KJ play one night, and he had a defensive touchdown, a kickoff return touchdown, a running touchdown, and a receiving touchdown, and I don’t know that I’ve ever, you know, witnessed that and seen something like that in person because he’s a dynamic player.”

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

The Bulldogs’ Class of 2024 ranks No. 1 in the country and features a trio of five-star plus+ players and nine top-100 prospects with half of the class, including Bolden, coming in ranked inside the top-150.

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