KJ Bolden
 Bolden in 2025 | |
| No. 4 – Georgia Bulldogs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Safety |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 18, 2006 Buford, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Buford |
| College |
|
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at ESPN | |
Khalil Ja’Qua Bolden[1] (born February 18, 2006) is an American college football safety for the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Early life
Bolden grew up in Buford, Georgia.[2] When he was 10 years old, his father Kai was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and money laundering following a Department of Justice investigation dubbed "Operation High Rollers". He was released in 2023 after serving six years.[1][3] Bolden attended Buford High School where he played football and ran track. A two-way player at wide receiver and safety, Bolden was a two time all-state selection in football and was named the Georgia Region 8-7A Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.[4] He was selected to All-American Bowl in 2024.[5] A five star prospect ranked the #1 safety recruit in his class, Bolden originally committed to play college football at Florida State before flipping to the University of Georgia on national signing day.[6][7][8]
College career
In his collegiate debut, Bolden recorded four tackles on 49 snaps, the most snaps of any Georgia defender, as the Bulldogs defeated Clemson 34–3.[9]
College statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Georgia Bulldogs | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||
| Solo | Ast | Cmb | TFL | Sck | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | FF | TD | ||
| 2024 | 14 | 40 | 19 | 59 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 13 | 26 | 40 | 66 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 27 | 66 | 59 | 125 | 4.5 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
References
- ^ a b Sentell, Jeff (August 4, 2023). "KJ Bolden: The really big decision from his life you haven't read all about this week". DawgNation. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Mazumder, Rahaan (June 6, 2024). "Who Are the Parents of KJ Bolden? A Quick Look Into the Family of Georgia Safety". EssentiallySports. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Catanese, Robert (October 5, 2018). "'Operation High Rollers' sends 11 drug traffickers to federal prison". WTGS. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Kassim, Ehsan. "5-star safety KJ Bolden flips from Florida State football to Georgia". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "KJ Bolden Welcomed to 2024 All-American Bowl with Virtual Jersey Presentation". NBC Sports. December 22, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Sudge, Brandon (April 14, 2024). "How Buford's KJ Bolden ended up with Georgia football". North Gwinnett Voice. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Staff, The Athletic College Football. "Georgia football recruiting: Bulldogs flip in-state 5-star KJ Bolden". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Nemec, Andrew (December 20, 2023). "KJ Bolden flips from Florida State to Georgia; nation's top safety bolsters Kirby Smart's class". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Davis, Spenser (September 2, 2024). "Kirby Smart explains what sets KJ Bolden apart from other freshmen". Saturday Down South. Retrieved September 2, 2024.