Florida State Five-Star Plus+ safety commit KJ Bolden remains in communication with Georgia

When KJ Bolden committed on Aug. 5, the Five-Star Plus+ safety committed to Florida State. It came down to Florida State and Georgia in that day’s final hours. Auburn was in the mix as well. Clemson and Ohio State were also finalists for the No. 9 prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings.

Bolden was in Orlando for the Florida State vs. LSU game. On Saturday, he was back in Athens. He has visited the home-state school over a dozen times, now pushing 20, and it was his first time back at a Florida State commitment, but a lot was still the same.

“The atmosphere was good as usual,” Bolden told On3. “It didn’t feel different. They treated me the same as they always do. The message was that we need your skill set to come in and play immediately.”

Kirby Smart, Will Muschamp and Fran Brown all spoke to Bolden on Saturday. Nothing has changed for the elite defender out of Buford (Ga.), but he isn’t completely shutting the door on the Bulldogs.

“I am committed to Florida State, but Georgia has always been home. It is the only school other than Florida State I keep in contact with.”

Bolden plans to be in Tallahassee on Oct. 7 for the Virginia Tech game.

On’s 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.

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