ATHENS — KJ Bolden is no stranger to expectations at Georgia.
Before playing a game, Kirby Smart touted the safety as someone who could make an immediate impact. He did just that, earning Freshman All-SEC honors while playing alongside Dan Jackson and Malaki Starks.
With Jackson and Starks now in the NFL, Georgia is asking even more of Bolden as a sophomore.
So much so that position coach Travaris Robinson feels a little bad for Bolden.
“I feel sorry for him sometimes because we’re looking around and I’m looking for a guy that’s been here for a long time,” Robinson said. “There ain’t many guys. There’s a bunch of guys that’s new, first time in the scheme, and we do a lot of different things. It’s really not fair on the kid, but there’s something that he has really took by the horn.”
To replace Jackson and Starks, Georgia dipped into the transfer portal to add Zion Branch, Adrian Maddox and Jaden Harris. The Bulldogs return Joenel Aguero and JaCorey Thomas in the secondary, but Bolden still outpaces both veterans in terms of meaningful snaps played.
Bolden was voted Preseason First Team All-SEC heading into the 2025 season. He’ll look to build off his freshman season that saw him finish with 59 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a sack.
Georgia though, isn’t just asking Bolden to help tighten up coverage in its secondary. The Bulldogs have worked Bolden out as a gunner on the punt team.
Arian Smith and Dominic Lovett previously held those roles, with Smart frequently praising the job they did in setting up the defense for success.
Bolden’s athleticism can allow him to do the same. Even being a crucial piece of the Georgia defense in 2025, there’s an expectation that Bolden will help on special teams and likely shine in the role.
“Punt’s first play of defense, right? He’s gonna be put in very similar situations at gunner than he would be playing safety,” Georgia special teams coordinator Kirk Benedict said. “So we have the best players play special teams, and especially on punt. And I think he’s gonna be a real asset there.”
Bolden told reporters this spring he came to Georgia in an effort to live up to the lofty expectations. He welcomes the responsibilities that come with being a leader on and off the field for the Bulldogs. Bolden received praise from Robinson for the Georgia safety improved as a communicator this offseason, something he wasn’t asked to do as a freshman.
Robinson acknowledged that Bolden came into a great situation last season because he was able to learn from Starks and Jackson. The hope is that he can pass that knowledge on to the rest of the secondary while setting an example as the unit’s best player.
Smart frequently touts how young this Georgia team will be in 2025. Perhaps no one exemplifies that more than Bolden, as he falls into the 54% of players on the roster who are in their first or second year in college.
Entering 2025, they’re hoping that Bolden can play well beyond his years. And if he does, Georgia should be able to handle the departures of Starks and Jackson better than most schools would.
“He’s the guy that got probably the most playing experience in our room at the safety position and we’re asking him to go out and do all those things,” Robinson said. “But he’s really trying his best to do it. Coming in, meeting extra, doing all the things that he needed to do to be a good player. So he’s got to continue to do that, and it’s going to really help us if he does.”
