Florida State flips $900 Million 5-Star player From Georgia As Bolster Ranked Class…

The Bulldogs’ top-ranked class received a significant boost on Wednesday, National Signing Day, when five-star safety prospect KJ Bolden switched his commitment from Florida State to Georgia. Bolden, who excelled at Georgia’s formidable Buford High School, is rated by 247Sports as the No. 1 safety in the class and the No. 15 prospect overall.

Bolden visited the Florida State campus just last weekend after making his initial Aug. 5 commitment to the Seminoles. However, Georgia continued its relentless pursuit of the in-state prospect this month, hosting two in-home visits with the standout safety.

Bolden’s flip represents a unique recruiting victory for Georgia at Buford, which has frequently failed to draw the best players from Buford despite Kirby Smart’s recruiting successes. After excelling for Buford, Dylan Raiola, the top-ranked quarterback in the 2024 class, transferred from Georgia to Nebraska. But thanks to Bolden’s choice, the Bulldogs—whose school is only an hour away from the UGA campus—have won a significant game.

At 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds, Bolden proved himself to be a dynamic playmaker in multiple phases of the game at Buford. Defensively, he totaled 33 tackles with four interceptions this season while also making 30 receptions for 663 yards and 14 touchdowns on offense. Here is a detailed look at his game from 247Sports director of scouting Andrew Ivins:

A three-phase playmaker for one of the best high school football teams in Georgia, he is thought by many to be a defensive back at the collegiate level due to his range and takeaways. Though he has demonstrated throughout the years that he is quick and fluid enough to hang as a slot defender or an outside corner, his best position is as a deep safety who can erase errors and stop touchdowns. Given the strong track and field background, it is not surprising that speed is consistently visible under the lights: bronze in the triple jump as a sophomore after qualifying for states in the 100-meter dash as a freshman. Instinctive as a defender. Owns more of a wiry frame at this stage, and is likely going to need to add some mass to improve success rate as an open-field tackler, but is surprisingly physical for his size and can create some pop with his shoulder pads.

Bolden represented Buford in track as well, excelling in competitions like the long jump, triple jump, and 100-meter dash. That he also returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2023 comes as no surprise.