ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia's KJ Bolden received on-the-job training last season, learning from Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson.
Now, he's poised to enter the spotlight in 2025 as his mentors head to the NFL.
The former Buford star will continue to represent the slew of AccessWDUN athletes who have played in the Georgia secondary.
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart knew Bolden would be key in the Bulldogs' secondary. He also sees Bolden as a veteran player now and understands the impact the former five-star recruit will have this season.
“I mean, he seems like a vet to me now because there's just very little veteran experience out there," Smart said. "He learned from two guys that knew how to do it in Malaki and Dan, and he doesn't overstep his bounds. He doesn't try to force himself on older players that are older than him. He just, you know, he pulls for Georgia. He pulls guys in the right direction. He coaches guys, so he got a lot of reps last year this time, and he got a lot of reps in the season, so he continues to develop his body. He's got to put his body in a position where he can play more snaps, play every snap, but in terms of leadership, he's doing a nice job.”
Bolden spent last season in acclimation mode as he was tossed into the rotation as a true freshman and performed well. He finished the 2024 season with 50 tackles -- 40 solo -- one sack, one forced fumble and one pass deflection. His best game was an eight-tackle effort against Tennessee.
Bolden was mentored by two of the best in Starks and Jackson, but he said his biggest lesson, which he got from Starks, was being a competitor.
"Going every day at practice and trying to get 1% better every day," he said. "Every day is not going to be a good day for you, so you know you will have on and off days. Just going to practice every day, trying to give 110%, and trying to be the best you can be. That's the most I've learned from him."
The safety room at Georgia is filled with talent. Players like JaCorey Thomas, Zion Branch, Jaden Harris, Todd Robinson, Joenel Aguero, and Bolden are vying for time.
“A lot of guys, man. It's just a lot of guys, and there's nobody really standing out," Smart said about the safeties. "K.J.'s [Bolden] 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 do things and cover. JaCorey's [Thomas] is working there. Zion Branch is working in there. I mean, we got [Adrian] Maddox working in there. Jaden's [Harris] is working there. JaCorey, I think I mentioned him. Todd Robinson. Joenel's [Aguero] gotten reps at safety as well as star. Jaden's working at Star some. Kyron's [Jones] working at Star. Kyron's working at safety. I mean, it's a lot of people, but there's no, like, you know, the solid foundation that Malaki [Starks] and Dan [Jackson] provided is not there, so it's a by-committee group. I think it's too early to have anybody out in the lead. They're all swimming a little bit. They're trying to survive practice instead of thrive, and we want to thrive, not survive.”
The Bulldogs will continue spring practice this week, working toward the annual G-Day game on April 12.
