Tag: KJ Bolden

What’s next for Ohio State recruiting after missing on safety KJ Bolden

Who are the most logical targets the Buckeyes should go after? #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] must once again reset its recruiting board after missing out on 2024 5-star safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag], who surprised many and chose Florida State over the field.

Not many people expected Bolden to select the Seminoles, in fact, the majority of insiders believed that his top choices were Georgia and Auburn. Regardless of where the 6-foot, 1-inch, 185-pound safety is going, he still didn’t pick the Buckeyes.

Bolden was one of the biggest remaining targets on Ohio State’s board, especially considering that he is ranked as the No. 1 safety and 7th overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Find out below which targets the Buckeyes will recruit harder now that the Georgian has made his verbal commitment.

Five-star safety KJ Bolden announces commitment to Florida State

Bolden chose the Seminoles over Auburn and Georgia on Saturday evening.

Auburn football was in the running to land one of the most talented prospects from the class of 2024. However, it was a race where they came up short.

[autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag], a five-star safety from Buford, Georgia, and one of Auburn’s top targets from the 2024 cycle announced his commitment on Saturday night. In a ceremony held at his high school, Bolden chose Florida State over Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama.

Bolden spent his final weekend ahead of his commitment by visiting Auburn for Big Cat Weekend, and he admittedly almost committed to the Tigers. However, he wanted to use this past week to weigh all of his options.

Bolden said in an interview with On3 that he is excited about the way that Florida State will use him on the field.

“Coach Mike Norvell…after Coach (Willie) Taggart got fired, he took the job, and ever since then he told me he was going to rebuild that team up. I remember when Florida State wasn’t winning how they used to be winning, and he always told me ‘just trust in us, trust in us, we’re gonna get back to the top this year,’ and my junior year they went 10-3. They had a great season and coming into this season they brought a lot of returning players back, so Coach Norvell’s definitely flipped the program back to where it’s supposed to have been at the whole time. Florida State’s got great coaches, Coach (Patrick) Surtain, Coach (Adam) Fuller, they’re all important to the guys, they all know what they’re talking about. And the way they’re going to use me, I feel like that’s a great way to use me.”

Auburn’s day does not end on a sour note, as they celebrate the commitment of four-star athlete [autotag]Jalewis Solomon[/autotag]. Solomon chose Auburn over South Carolina following a great visit to Auburn during Big Cat Weekend.

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Elite five-star Georgia target KJ Bolden makes commitment

5-star Buford athlete will be a Seminole…

Five-star athlete KJ Bolden announced his commitment to Florida State on Saturday night.

The Buford High School star was also considering Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Ohio State.

Bolden (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) is rated as the No. 7 player, the No. 1 safety and the No. 2 player in the state of Georgia in the 2024 class, per 247Sports Composite.

Bolden is of the most highly coveted prospects in the country and the Bulldogs pushed hard for his pledge. Bolden is teammates with Georgia quarterback commit Dylan Raiola, who was also helping get him to Athens.

The Dawgs’ class still sits atop the 247Sports team rankings by a large margin over Ohio State.

Georgia is not going to give up on recruiting K.J. Bolden despite his commitment to Florida State. The Columbus Dispatch

KJ Bolden’s commitment to Florida State is a big boost for the Seminoles, who are on a recruiting hot streak right now.

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Ohio State football misses out on KJ Bolden to somewhat surprising school

Coffee is for closers and the Ohio State coaches are thirsty on Saturday night #GoBucks

It has been a reoccurring theme with [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] and high-end prospects over the last two cycles, where the Buckeyes miss out on their guy.

It happened once again on Saturday night, as 2024 Georgia 5-star safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag] opted to stay in the South and commit to the Florida State Seminoles. This recruitment stings for multiple reasons, one of them being the fact that the safety’s uncle, [autotag]Perry Eliano[/autotag], is Ohio State’s coach at that position.

If family ties aren’t enough to pull the 6-foot, 1-inch, 185-pound star, then it really wasn’t meant to be. Bolden, who is viewed as the No. 1 safety and 7th overall player in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, has been a priority recruit for Ohio State.

The current 2024 Buckeye class has just two other safety commits, Garrett Stover and Jaylen McClain, but the former could end up playing linebacker as well.

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3 programs have a shot for KJ Bolden on the eve of his announcement

Sometimes a recruitment ends up like a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

Sometimes the recruitment process ends up like a one-score game in the fourth quarter – the end result is never certain at any point until it’s already over. The most dramatic example we witnessed last year was the 11th-hour switch by Cormani McClain, flipping his commitment from Miami to Colorado.

While it’s not quite the blockbuster McClain’s competition was, another elite DB prospect is now seeing his recruitment go down to the wire, too.

According to John Garcia Jr. at Rivals, Georgia, Florida State and Auburn all have a shot at landing Buford (Ga.) five-star safety KJ Bolden with only one day before his announcement on Saturday night.

Buford safety KJ Bolden at practice on July 24, 2023. (USA TODAY Network)

“What’s more rare than the industry having a strong idea, is the fact that there are three programs seemingly with a shot just 36 hours before the announcement. In-state Georgia has long been the favorite to keep Bolden home, but about a month ago a trip to Florida State started to shift some conversation and last weekend’s trip to Auburn seems to have made a similar impact. Each school has a reason to be confident down the stretch, too.”

Bolden (6-foot-1, 185 pounds) has gotten offers from 40 programs altogether, but Garcia calls Georgia the safe bet. 247Sports is also projecting that the Bulldogs will get his commitment. Meanwhile, the On3 prediction model has Georgia at 37.7%, Florida State at 25.6% and Auburn at 18.6%.

Going by the 247Sports composite rankings, Bolden is first among safeties in his class, second overall in the state of Georgia and No. 7 nationally.

For now, the Bulldogs are still No. 1 in the 2024 national recruiting rankings, Florida State currently ranks No. 6 and Auburn is No. 18 after a big surge last week.

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Perry Thompson reveals deciding factor for choosing Auburn 

Thompson wants to reach his full potential, and Hugh Freeze can get him there.

Auburn fans were ecstatic to learn that five-star wide receiver [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] flipped his commitment from Alabama to the Tigers.

Monday, he revealed why he made the switch.

During Baldwin County High School Media Day, Foley High School head coach told the media that Thompson’s flip was not as much of a surprise as most thought.

“The kids probably had a pool going on where Perry would end up,” head coach Deric Scott said. “Everyone has kind of been on high alert for the last three weeks. It’s a testament to Perry and his talent. I just told him wherever he goes, I’m behind him. He made a decision he is comfortable with and he feels like will be best for him, and we are happy for him.”

Thompson also took the podium at Baldwin County Media Day, where he revealed his reasoning behind the switch.

“I’d say probably a month ago, I looked at Nick Saban and Hugh Freeze — Nick Saban is a good coach, all the stuff he’s had through college football. I know he specializes with (defensive backs), and my main position is receiver,” Thompson said Monday. “Hugh Freeze has got a background of developing receivers at a higher level. Just that, how you get receivers to their highest point.”

Now that he has committed to Auburn, Thompson says that his main focus is trying to recruit five-star safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag]. He will have a week to throw out his best pitch, as Bolden is set to commit this Saturday.

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Is Ohio State falling out of favor for 5-star safety with ties to the Buckeyes?

It’s looking like the Buckeyes won’t be hearing a BOOM on August 5. #GoBucks

Although it seemed like [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] was going to have a leg up in the recruitment of Georgia 2024 safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag], that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

The Buckeyes safeties coach, [autotag]Perry Eliano[/autotag], is cousins with Bolden and for a while, it looked like the family connection would win out in his recruitment. Unfortunately for Ohio State, that doesn’t seem like it will be enough to push the 6-foot, 1-inch, 185-pound safety to land in Columbus.

In an X post, the website formerly known as Twitter, by On3, Bolden is quoted as saying that his recent visit to Auburn has pushed the Tigers into his top two. The perceived favorite has been Georgia and many thought Ohio State was right behind the Bulldogs, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Bolden is set to make his commitment on August 5, and we will find out where the top-rated safety and No. 7 overall player according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings will commit to. As of right now, it doesn’t seem like it will be the Buckeyes.

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Auburn makes late push for KJ Bolden at Big Cat Weekend

Can Auburn lock in their third five-star of the 2024 recruiting cycle?

Auburn has gained significant recruiting momentum the last two weeks by landing several of the nation’s top names from the 2024 recruiting class.

During Big Cat Weekend, the Tigers snagged two wide receivers: four-star [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] and five-star [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag], who flipped to Auburn from Alabama.

Despite the exciting haul, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff are not satisfied. They are making a late push for five-star safety [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag]. Bolden is set to announce his commitment next Saturday and spent his final weekend ahead of the announcement by visiting Auburn for Big Cat Weekend.

The visit was successful; Bolden almost pledged a week early.

“The way that coach (Hugh) Freeze just gave me that great talk in the office, he definitely almost had me commit today,” Bolden told Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover.

Bolden will have a week to think things over. He will choose among  Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, Florida State and Ohio State on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT on On3’s YouTube channel. He shared his thoughts on Auburn with On3’s Chad Simmons after releasing his top schools last week.

“I’m definitely very interested in Auburn. Coach Freeze, I told him when I went up there, ‘Coach I’ve got to see if you can get an OV, I’m not sure yet.’ And he said if you give me an OV, just make sure it’s the last one. That’s how he makes things shake for sure, and I made sure he got that last OV. Freeze and his staff have made Bolden one of their top priorities since they took over, even as other national programs are in pursuit and have been for some time They just really stay communicated, and I knew Auburn was really interested when coaches at my school were talking about Auburn and how badly they want me. When I got down there, the family environment was like no other.

Bolden is the No. 1 safety in the nation for the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 3 prospect from the state of Georgia. As it stands a week out from his commitment date, Georgia is the favorite with four crystal ball predictions from 247Sports. On3 gives Georgia a 44.1% chance to land his commitment.

Freeze has swayed one prospect away from Georgia in [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag] this cycle, can he do it again with Bolden?

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5-star KJ Bolden sets commitment time, drops possible hint in recruitment

Did five-star Buford athlete KJ Bolden give a hint as to where he plans to play college football?

Five-star athlete KJ Bolden is ready to announce where he will play college football. Bolden, a member of the 2024 recruiting class, is the top-ranked safety recruit in the nation.

Bolden is a versatile football player for Buford High School in Buford, Georgia. Bolden also plays wide receiver. He is one of five-star Georgia football quarterback commit Dylan Raiola’s top receiving targets.

Bolden is the No. 7 recruit in the class of 2024. He is the second-ranked recruit in Georgia. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete plans to announce his decision on Aug. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Bolden will decide among Georgia, Alabama, Florida State, Ohio State, and Auburn. Georgia is favored to land Bolden but Ohio State and Florida State also have a shot.

KJ Bolden may have dropped a hint as to where he will play college football. In an interview with some of his high school teammates, KJ Bolden said, “I go to the University of … I go to Buford.”

Bolden caught himself, but only two of Bolden’s top schools would continue the phrase the five-star safety was starting: The University of Alabama and the University of Georgia.

Auburn University, Florida State University and Ohio State University don’t fit the sentence Bolden was starting.

Here’s a look at Bolden’s interview:

Bolden and Raiola are already connecting on passes in practice:

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Demarcus Riddick flips to Auburn, snaps Tigers’ five-star drought

He is set to be Auburn’s first five-star since they landed Owen Pappoe and Bo Nix in 2019.  

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has landed his first five-star prospect at Auburn. Flipping linebacker [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag] from Georgia and Kirby Smart on Wednesday afternoon and beating out Nick Saban and Alabama in the process.

Stealing a recruit from your rivals is always sweet, but when it’s a player of Riddick’s caliber it’s even sweeter. If he signs with Auburn, he will be their first five-star signee since [autotag]Owen Pappoe[/autotag] and [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag] in 2019.

Riddick is the No. 26 overall player and No. 3 linebacker in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Clanton native is also the No. 3 player from Alabama.

He is Auburn’s 12 commitment of the class and their second top 100 player, joining quarterback [autotag]Walker White[/autotag]. Their class now ranks 27th in the country and 11th in the SEC.

His recruitment is exactly how Auburn can get back to competing for SEC Championships. While they have landed just two five-star prospects over the past five recruiting cycles, Alabama and Georgia both landed four last year alone.

That talent gap only increases over a four-year span and is a major reason why Auburn is currently riding a three-game losing streak against the Crimson Tide and a six-game one against the Bulldogs.

Riddick might not be the only five-star Auburn lands this year either, the Tigers are a finalist for [autotag]KJ Bolden[/autotag] and are pushing hard to flip five-star wide receiver [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] from Alabama.

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