Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This rep has the latest with 5-star safety KJ Bolden. He ranks as the nation’s No. 1 S and the No. 7 overall prospect for 2024 on the 247Sports Composite ratings. The On3 Industry Ranking has him as the nation’s No. 1 and the No. 8 recruit overall.
Florida State was the first school to offer 5-star safety KJ Bolden back in early 2021. The Georgia football program was the second. Ohio State was the 17th program and Alabama came five offers later with his 22nd scholarship opportunity. Auburn was the 37th school.
Those are the five finalists for his decision, but it seems Auburn, FSU and Georgia have all the buzz right prior to his 7:30 p.m. livestream decision ceremony later today that will be hosted by On3.com on its YouTube channel.
The in-state Bulldogs are clearly in the mix. Bolden has taken approximately 14 unofficial visits and one official visit to gauge the back-to-back national champions. He was there for the 2022 national championship celebration in Sanford Stadium after the first of the back-to-back titles.
Buford’s 5-star actually went to check out Georgia on the annual scavenger hunts in 2021 and 2023. He took his official visit on the second weekend of June this year.
A scan of all his social media posts shows that Bolden took seven visits to check out the reigning national champions in 2022 alone. That’s more than he has been to see any other school. Bolden then followed that up with at least four more visits this year. Those figures do not even include team camps at UGA.
Those visits are geared to increase the appeal for the ‘Dawgs with a major 5-star commodity like Bolden. There are designed to build a real relationship with his family. Bolden has said over and over that he has no relationship with a head coach that is recruiting him quite like Kirby Smart.
That’s probably the biggest plus for the ‘Dawgs in this hotly-contested recruiting battle. That connection to Smart plus the real NFL development the ‘Dawgs have shown at his position have been the biggest pulls for him to the red and black for some time.
How do his parents feel about the ‘Dawgs?
DawgNation was able to ask both his mother and father about that recently.
“I love Georgia,” his mother LaKiesha Wright said. “I love Kirby. I love what they do at Georgia. Kirby has always been one of KJ’s biggest fans coach-wise. He’s always been there. He knows him. He knows the whole staff. They love him. They are showing us they care and they want him so that’s great.”
His father, Kai Bolden, hasn’t been able to go on as many of those visits. When he was released from prison after serving a six-plus year term, the first college he went to see on a visit was Georgia.
“It was nice,” Kai Bolden said. “Just to be able to kind of see it. Kind of see how he is treated and you know just talking to Coach Kirby [Smart] and understanding how much of a priority he is for them and just the same type of love a father has for their son, well you know I was able to feel that [same type of love] from Georgia.”
Bolden told 247Sports on Thursday that he finally made a decision. That came on Wednesday. That’s after telling reporters late last month that he was getting close to making a decision.
“It is starting to heat up. I am starting to get in my head kind of a feeling where I want to go,” he said on July 26.
The family also described the approach they will take with him as he made that final decision.
“I like Georgia as a whole,” his father Kai Bolden said. “I mean ultimately we all decided that we are going to guide him along the process but he is going to have the last say-so. If you know what I mean. But I love Georgia as a school and for the opportunities that they bring.”
The decision has been daunting.
“It is definitely weighing on him,” his father said. “That’s why we shortened the process. You know originally they were going to go all the way to signing day but he told me you know he said ‘I’m tired’ and ‘This is overwhelming’ and it has been a few times that he has wanted to commit already.”
“I kind of told him don’t rush it and let’s take the time, process it and give everybody to at least see what they are going to offer on and off the field and then as a family we’ll get together and we’ll pray about it and you know you’ll make a decision.”
SENTELL’S INTEL
(check on the recent reads on Georgia football recruiting)
