Kirby Smart reveals exactly how safety KJ Bolden has grown since arriving at Georgia
Kirby Smart is very proud of how far KJ Bolden has come since freshman year.
Sophomore safety KJ Bolden has had to mature quickly since arriving in Athens and joining the Georgia Bulldogs.
As a freshman, Bolden earned a starting spot and benefited from having veterans like Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson to guide him.
This season, the roles have reversed; now he’s the one his teammates look to for leadership. And according to head coach Kirby Smart, Bolden has handled that responsibility impressively well.
“Probably leadership,” Smart said of the area Bolden has grown the most in. “I mean, if you say this year, I would say, his growth has been in leadership. I’d say his freshman year was probably in adding some bulk and some size. He’s done a really good job of that in the offseason. He’s fighting to maintain that throughout the season. We like for him to play in that 195 range. He works really hard at that.”
KJ Bolden remains a constant bright spot
Smart has mentioned before that Bolden’s toughness comes from years of experience; he’s been playing since his peewee days and even spent time being coached by his father.
“But his biggest growth this year is in being in a room where he has had to step to the forefront and be a leader and communicate more,” Smart continued. “Where he relied on other guys to communicate in the past, he is the lead communicator on the back end now. He’s done a nice job with that.”
The Bulldogs haven’t been as dominant on defense as they have in years past, though Bolden has remained a constant. He sits third on the team with 47 total tackles, two passes defended, one interception, and a fumble recovery.
Those numbers could be higher had Bolden not been ejected for a targeting penalty in Georgia’s narrow win over Florida, but he’s since made up for that costly mistake, and there’s no doubt he will continue to do so when Georgia takes on the Texas Longhorns this weekend.
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