Kirby Smart outlines how Georgia signed a 5-star safety
The Bulldogs’ coach stressed the importance of consistency in finally winning out and landing the top safety in the country.
For the longest time, Georgia appeared to be competing for second place in the recruitment of five-star safety KJ Bolden. That, much to the surprise of Georgia fans, did not turn out to be the case.
Bolden switched his pledge from Florida State to Georgia on Wednesday, completing the Bulldogs’ top-ranked recruiting class. Some may feel that the decision foretold the Bulldogs’ late surge, but Kirby Smart stated that this was not the case.
“There was no special recruiting for KJ. It was just consistent, and mutual respect is definitely the right phrase.” On Wednesday, Smart stated. “When he committed elsewhere, I reached out to him and simply told him that I had a lot of respect for him, that we weren’t going to stop recruiting him, and that we thought this was the best place for him.”
“Andrew Thomas’ parents taught me that the key to success is consistency.” Every time [KJ] was here, we were pretty consistent. And guess what? It worked out. It doesn’t always work out, but it did in this situation, and we’re not going to modify our way of doing things.”
on addition to consistency, Smart stated that Bolden was well-versed on Georgia and its coaching staff. Smart said he saw Bolden and his mother, LaKiesha Wright, in Georgia’s indoor practice facility while Bolden was in ninth school and spoke to both of them for about 45 minutes. Smart estimated that Bolden has visited Georgia’s campus 20-30 times subsequently, owing to various events and 7-on-7 camps hosted there.
Georgia was one of the finalists for Bolden when he committed to the Seminoles in August. As strong as Florida State appeared to be for Bolden, Smart and his team remained persistent in their pitch to Bolden and his family in the hopes of winning out.
Ultimately, they did just that.
With Bolden’s signing, Georgia has snagged the top safety prospect in the country and the third-best player in the state of Georgia, according to a source. Bolden, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 185 pounds, is coming off a senior season in which he was voted Region 8-7A Defensive Player of the Year after playing both ways at Buford. On defense, he had 33 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 3 pass break-ups, and on offensively, he had 30 receptions for 663 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also scored on the ground and on two kickoff returns.
Bolden joins Georgia’s deep secondary class, which also includes five-star cornerback Ellis Robinson IV, four-star cornerback Demello Jones, and four-star cornerback Ondre Evans. Smart noted the group’s quickness — he suggested they could be a 4×100 squad and win a national event — and then mentioned Bolden’s incredible night at Buford.
“They’re all fast. “KJ had a defensive touchdown, a kickoff return touchdown, a running touchdown, and a receiving touchdown one night,” Smart added. “I don’t know that I’ve ever, you know, witnessed that and seen something like that in person because he’s a dynamic player.”
Georgia supporters were disappointed when Bolden committed to another school in August, but Smart and his staff were determined to get the last laugh. While the situation may have appeared dire from the outside, the Dawgs remained steady and signed Bolden when the time came.
Related Posts
About The Author
