New twist in recruitment of Five-Star Plus+ safety KJ Bolden

The official visits are in the books. Aug. 5 is the commitment date. But the decision has yet to be made.

KJ Bolden is just over three weeks away from his commitment ceremony and based on intel, there are still multiple schools in the mix. The No. 8 prospect in the On3 Industry Rankings took official visits to Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Alabama in June.

The 6-foot, 185-pound Five-Star Plus+ recruit also took an unofficial visit to Florida State last month. Auburn received a couple of unofficial visits in the spring as well.

Georgia has been a constant if you followed Bolden’s recruitment over the last year or longer. And the in-state Bulldogs remain that. But Kirby Smart‘s program definitely has company.

Ohio State is a strong contender. And the Buckeyes have been. Bolden has family (Perry Eliano) on the staff and he has always been on the Buckeyes. The Big Ten program is expected to be in this until the end.

I still like those two the most when talking the favorites to land Bolden at this stage.

When talking other schools in the mix, Clemson has faded out. At one time, the Tigers were considered a top three school on Bolden’s list. Alabama is still on the board, and you can never count the Crimson Tide out. Auburn is surging late, and Bolden plans to visit the Plains one more time later this month before deciding.

The school that has quickly become one to watch a little closer though is Florida State. In recent days, the buzz around the Seminoles has picked up significantly. According to a source, Mike Norvell‘s program, which was Bolden’s dream school, has become a true contender and one that is ascending up his list.

As of July 13, I am not ready to put Florida State at the top of the list, but they are in a much better position than they looked to be a few weeks ago. There are still a lot of moving parts in the recruitment, and outside of Clemson, no others have been eliminated.

There is still some level of confidence in Athens and Columbus, but the program in Tallahassee is picking up some steam late.

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