Tag: KJ Bolden

3 Georgia freshmen named to the All-SEC Freshman Team

Three UGA freshmen selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team including Georgia running back Nate Frazier

Three Georgia Bulldogs freshmen earned spots on the 2024 SEC All-Freshman Team. Running back Nate Frazier represented the Bulldogs’ offense, while linebacker Chris Cole and safety KJ Bolden were honored for their performances on defense.

As top-50 prospects in high school, the trio of UGA selections come as no surprise. Bolden and Cole appeared in every game for Georgia this season. Cole primarily contributed on special teams but saw limited action at linebacker, stepping in when Smael Mondon was sidelined with an injury. Cole has 16 tackles and two fumble returns this season.

Bolden emerged as a key player in the Georgia secondary, making one start and finishing sixth on the team in snaps. Bolden has recorded 54 tackles, one sack and one interceptions this season.

Meanwhile, Frazier became a crucial part of Georgia’s run game late in the season, scoring touchdowns in each of the final five regular-season games. Frazier has a team-high 129 carries for 634 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season.

[lawrence-related id=109081,109090]

The selection of the three Bulldogs to the All-Freshman Team follows a conference-leading 13 Georgia players earning All-SEC honors earlier this week. The future is bright with this young trio leading the way for Georgia football.

Who is UGA’s most impactful true freshman

UGA Wire highlights the most impactful true freshman on the Georgia Bulldogs.

.Now that college football is at its midway point, the Georgia Bulldogs are starting to hit their stride. Part of that comes from impact freshman talent finding their footing. The biggest freshman impact of the season has to be safety KJ Bolden.

Bolden’s story is insane. According to 247Sports, He was a five-star recruit, the third-best recruit in Georgia, and the 15th highest ranked recruit in the nation. This was due to his decorated high school career at Buford High School, where he was a two-time all-state selection from Georgia. Bolden earned the Georgia Region 8-7A Defensive Player of the Year his senior year.

Bolden originally committed to playing for Florida State in 2023, but on national signing day, Georgia was able to flip him. With his talent, Georgia already has high hopes that he can start, giving him the most snaps out of any freshman so far this season.

The former Buford standout has thrived with the opportunity. In the Clemson game, he had a 74.0 PFF grade, the highest out of any true freshman safety. So far, he’s logged 19 tackles and a sack. Bolden’s an every-down player, which is otherworldly for a freshman on a national championship contending team. No other freshman, not even running back Nate Frazier, can say that. Georgia Bulldogs fans should be excited about his future with the team.

Kirby Smart has this to say about Bolden before his debut in the Clemson matchup. “He’s played more football than most seniors,” said Smart. “He’s been playing since he was 6 years old. In the heart of Atlanta, in one of the toughest leagues there is to play football. He’s played up against older kids all his life. He’s extremely athletic.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=2]

“The moment’s not too big for KJ. He’s just very gifted athletically, but he also had great football instincts and intuition. He’s been coached by his father. He’s tough. So I think that gives him a leg up coming in just because he’s been playing football so long.”

KJ Bolden will get his next chance to play on Oct. 12 as Georgia hosts Mississippi State.

ESPN ranks pair of Georgia Bulldogs among CFB’s top 10 freshmen

Georgia football is the only program in the country with a pair of players ranked among ESPN’s 10 best true freshmen

The Georgia Bulldogs signed the country’s top freshmen class, so it should come as no surprise that the Bulldogs are getting production out of a few of their young stars.

In fact, ESPN ranks (subscription required) two Georgia freshmen in running back Nate Frazier and safety KJ Bolden among the best true freshmen in the country. No other college football team has multiple players on the list.

Frazier has 17 carries for 111 rushing yards and one touchdown this season. He is Georgia’s leading rusher through two weeks and has shown excellent explosiveness.

ESPN ranks Frazier as the No. 8 best true freshman through Week 2. Frazier left Georgia’s 48-3 win over Tennessee Tech, but could have returned according to Georgia head coach Kirby Smart.

“Yeah, he could have come back. and we ended up holding him out. I’m not even sure it’s a shoulder, but I don’t know what significance. They came over to me and said he’s ready to go back in, but at that point we were moved on,” said Smart.

KJ Bolden made an impact right out of the gate against the Clemson Tigers in Week 1. Bolden, who was one of 13 Georgia true freshmen to make their debut in Week 1, is ESPN’s No. 10 (tied) best freshman. Bolden has six tackles and a sack through two games.

Georgia freshman sensation turned down over $200k to attend UGA

UGA freshman, former FSU commit turned down “at least” $200 more in NIL money from other programs to attend Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs true freshman defensive back K.J. Bolden, a former five-star recruit, made an immediate impact in Week 1 for Georgia. Bolden finished the Clemson game with four tackles, which was tied for the second-most on the team.

Bolden had a highly contested recruitment. He had been committed to Florida State from August into December 2023 before flipping to the Bulldogs. Auburn was also a factor in his recruitment. He had a strong offseason and started the opening game against Clemson, turning in and impressive performance including a crucial third-down stop on the first drive.

The recruiting landscape has changed greatly over the past few years with the introduction of name, image and likeness licensing. However, program reputation remains a prominent factor in the recruiting process, something that Kai Bolden gave insight into this week in an interview with On3’s Phillip Dukes. Kai Bolden is the father of K.J.

“Did he (K.J. Bolden) really get $2 million to go to Georgia?” asked On3’s Phillip Dukes.

“Nah, man,” Kai Bolden said. “Actually we could have went to other schools and got more money. It just actually came down to where he wanted to be, and the team he saw that gave him the best possibility to play on Sundays. But, nah. Georgia definitely did not offer him the most money.”

Kai also estimated that K.J. turned down “at least” $200,000 in NIL in order to attend Georgia over other schools.

“Georgia is gonna put 10 other elite athletes out there with you,” Kai Bolden said. “When you go to a school like Georgia, you just gotta do your job. And, you know, it makes it easier for you as a DB when you’re playing with a great defensive line.”

Kirby Smart names five-star freshman as potential major contributor

Kirby Smart highlights a five-star freshman as a potential key contributor for the UGA defense in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 season, the Georgia secondary has plenty of room for young talent to fill the void three departing starters left. All three of those starters are in the NFL: cornerback Kamari Lassiter, safety Javon Bullard and star Tykee Smith.

According to recent comments by head coach Kirby Smart, five-star freshman K.J. Bolden may be primed to step up in their place.

When asked by former Alabama head coach Nick Saban about young players who could contribute in 2024, Smart said, “I think KJ Bolden has a chance to really help us out. He’s athletic; he’s intelligent. He comes from a really good high school program. He got 15 practices in spring, and he approaches every practice like a veteran.”

Smart also compared Bolden’s progression to a current Georgia star at the same position.

“Where he is right now is probably ahead of where Malaki (Starks) was at that time, and Malaki was able to play as a freshman.”

The comparison to Starks will undoubtedly build even more hype surrounding Bolden among the fans.

Bolden was a massive flip for the Bulldogs in the 2024 recruiting class after he decommitted from Florida State. He is competing for the starting safety spot opposite Starks with veteran Dan Jackson and junior JaCorey Thomas. His potential emergence became all the more important this week with the news of potential starter David Daniel-Sisavanh‘s departure from the team.

Auburn to host 2026 CB Nassir McCoy this weekend

The Buford, Georgia native will kick off his round of spring visits on March 16 by visiting Auburn.

One of the most popular prospects from the class of 2026 will kick off his round of spring visits this weekend by taking a trip to Auburn.

According to a report by On3’s Chad Simmons, 2026 cornerback [autotag]Nassir McCoy[/autotag] will be on campus this weekend, his first of the spring. McCoy has also scheduled visits to Alabama, Ohio State, Tennessee, LSU, Georgia, Texas, and Oregon before the calendar rolls over to May.

Due to his age, McCoy has not received a ranking from any recruiting outlets. However, his offer list is respectable despite having two seasons of high school eligibility remaining. The front runners so far for McCoy’s signature are Alabama and Georgia. McCoy is intrigued by Alabama’s development of defensive backs while Georgia is McCoy’s favorite college team. It helps that his cousin, five-star safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag], recently signed with the Bulldogs.

McCoy, a 6-0, 180-pound safety, was ninth in tackles last season for Buford High School He racked up 38 total tackles with three for a loss. He also recorded two interceptions and deflected a pass.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Four-star Georgia commit visits Auburn, DJ Durkin on Sunday

Jadon Perlotte’s relationship with new defensive coordinator DJ Durkin may help the Tigers chances to flip from rival Georgia.

Auburn has been high on the radar of four-star linebacker [autotag]Jadon Perlotte[/autotag] for quite some time. Their stock has risen now that they have tabbed [autotag]DJ Durkin[/autotag] as the new defensive coordinator.

Perlotte, a Georgia pledge since December of 2022, visited Auburn on Sunday for the seventh time since the 2022 football season. One of the main reasons for his visit was to catch up with Durkin, a coach who recruited him heavily during his days at Texas A&M.

Perlotte tells Caleb Jones of Rivals that Durkin sees Perlotte as a player who can be the “quarterback of the defense.” He also says that his experience as a coach intrigues him.

“(Durkin) bringing his knowledge down here is just a big deal for me,” Perlotte said in an interview with Rivals. “We went through a lot of film. He knows what he’s talking about. His backers are very versatile and the next level is the league, that’s where I wanna be at.”

Georgia is the frontrunner at this time, but Auburn and Florida State remain high in the chase. His high school teammate at Buford, [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag], signed with Georgia during the early signing period, which is important due to a quote published by Sports Illustrated last August which he stated that he and Bolden were a “package deal.”

“I’ve got to play with him,” Perlotte said in August. “Nobody has scored, pass-wise, on our side 1-2 during our whole high school careers. I’ve got to play with KJ (Bolden). Our package is just different.”

Perlotte is the No. 3 linebacker for the 2025 cycle and is the No. 25 overall player for the recruiting class. Perlotte says that he plans to visit Auburn more this year, including several times during the spring practice period.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__

Auburn 5-star safety target KJ Bolden commits to Georgia

Auburn was unable to flip five-star safety KJ Bolden, who committed to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Auburn pulled off several impressive flips in the 2024 recruiting cycle but was unable to close the deal with five-star safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag]. Instead, he committed to the Georgia Bulldogs, flipping from Florida State.

All three of Auburn, Georgia and Florida State were finalists when Bolden picked the Seminoles back in August and each kept recruiting him hard ahead of the early signing period. He visited each school and hosted coaches for in-home visits but the in-state Bulldogs were able to win out.

Bolden is the No. 14 overall player and No. 1 safety in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is the No. 2 player from Georgia.

While missing out on the talented Bolden stings, secondary coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and Auburn have landed several promising defensive backs. The group consists of four-star prospects Jalyn Crawford, A’Mon Lane-Ganus and Kenley Faustin and three-stars Laquan Robinson and Kaleb Harris.

Stay up-to-date with the latest signing day news by checking out Auburn Wire’s early signing period tracker.

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow JD on Twitter @jdmccarthy15

Georgia flips No. 1 safety KJ Bolden from FSU

Georgia flips No. 1 safety KJ Bolden from FSU

The early signing period is here and UGA Wire has you covered throughout the day as the Bulldogs sign the bulk of their 2024 class.

In typical Kirby Smart fashion, Georgia has flipped a game-changing recruit on National Signing Day.

K.J. Bolden, a five-star recruit and the nation’s No. 1 safety, has flipped his commitment from Florida State to Georgia in the 2024 class.

The Bulldogs’ strong push for Bolden has paid off in full. The in-state Buford High School product has been committed to the Seminoles since August 5.

Bolden is rated as the No. 14 prospect overall and the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia, per 247Sports Composite rankings.

Bolden (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) is far beyond a typical defensive back. He also played receiver at Buford and has the skillset to play both ways in Athens.

Georgia is running away with the nation’s No. 1 overall class.

Updated: Bolden has officially signed his letter of intent to Georgia.

 

Fran Brown is already pulling in SEC-level recruits for official visits to Syracuse

Fran Brown is getting some SEC quality recruits on campus at Syracuse.

Fran Brown has hit the ground running, the Syracuse head football coach is already doing a tremendous job in getting recruits excited about the program.

This shouldn’t be a surprise, given that Brown has been one of the top recruiters in the nation over the past four years. Brown comes to Syracuse having spent the last two years as the safeties coach at Georgia.

Prior to that, he was the secondary coach at Rutgers.

And with Syracuse desperately needing an injection of talent and star power, Brown’s first weekend of official visits is rolling along in impressive fashion.

There is an impressive list of visitors on campus right now at Syracuse. This is what a program in the SEC brings in for official visits, not a mid-table ACC program. Impressive stuff from Brown.

Via multiple sources, the following players are confirmed to be at Syracuse this weekend:

 

The most interesting name here, of course, is Bolden, who is one of the top-ranked players in the nation. Syracuse would need a lot to get Bolden to de-commit from Florida State (or to not flip to say Georgia) but even getting a player of his caliber on campus is impressive.