Georgia is a young team and must replace a number of proven contributors in 2025.
There will be plenty of new faces making an impact for Georgia this fall. But one of the most important players is someone who had a big freshman season for the Bulldogs.
And ESPN expects him to elevate his game in 2025, as ESPN tabbed sophomore safety KJ Bolden.
“One of the best young defenders in the SEC last season, Bolden made his presence felt on the back end of that Georgia defense,” ESPN’s Chris Low said. “As a true freshman, Bolden was overshadowed by All-American safety Malaki Starks but rose up and played some of his best football in the postseason. He’ll only get better in 2025 and will be one of the anchors in a Georgia secondary that is also returning some talented young cornerbacks.”
In addition to replacing Starks, Georgia also saw safety Dan Jackson move on to the NFL.
Their departures put a lot on the shoulders of Bolden. In 2024, Bolden had 59 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, a sack and an interception.
Bolden welcomes the challenges ahead of him for the 2024 season. It’s a big reason why he ended up coming to Georgia in the first place.
“I pray for moments like this, to just be a leader in one of the rooms at Georgia,” Bolden said. “So just being able to take over that leader role, just pushing the guys every day, cuz I know what the standard is here. And I know what the standard is gotta be.”
Head coach Kirby Smart spoke about Bolden this week, noting he’s the only real known commodity at safety for Georgia at this point of spring practice.
The Bulldogs brought in three transfers to help at the position, while veterans JaCorey Thomas and Joenel Aguero have a chance to take on larger roles with this group.
But Bolden will be the straw that stirs the drink for the defensive backfield.
“KJ’s there and he continues to bulk up, get a little bit bigger and be able to take care of himself and tackle like he needs to in terms of size, but he understands the defense and he’s a good athlete. He can he can do things and cover‚” Smart said following Tuesday’s practice.
Bolden did make the All-SEC Freshman team last fall and if you wanted to argue that he already has broken out, you wouldn’t be wrong. Other candidates include linebacker Chris Cole, quarterback Gunner Stockton and defensive lineman Christen Miller.
Georgia sent 14 players to the NFL combine and had 12 players transfer out of the program this offseason, creating ample opportunities for players like Bolden to make an even bigger impact.
To date, Georgia has completed four of its 15 spring practices. The Bulldogs are expected to conclude spring practice on April 12 with G-Day.
