NEW ORLEANS — With the way Georgia coaches talk about KJ Bolden, you’d think he was a player who still has a lot to prove — not someone who is on the short list of the best and most accomplished freshmen in the country.
“I think he did a really good job as a freshman, but he is a freshman,” Bolden’s position coach Travaris Robinson said of Bolden on Monday. “Did he have freshman mistakes, sure. But he’s a guy that has continued to grow and grow each day. He’s a really good kid. He meets extra. Him, Malaki (Starks) and Dan (Jackson) spend a lot of time together on how exactly they see different things. When you’re the safety of this defense, you’re like the quarterback, and you have to do a lot of communicating.
“He’s got to continue to get better, but he’s a guy that has got a ton of promise.”
Bolden didn’t wait long to make an impact this season, as he picked up Georgia’s first official tackle of the season. That was a third-down stop, as was his most recent tackle, which ended up forcing a Texas field goal in overtime of the SEC Championship game Dec. 7.
The Bulldogs likely would not have won that game without the play of Bolden. And while he still has plenty of room to grow, Starks affirms that Bolden is a special player.
“His growth is crazy,” Starks said. “You know, he’s not really a freshman anymore. Not one is at this point in the season. You’ve been playing, and especially if you’ve been starting all year, you’re no longer a freshman. So just keep playing how you’ve been playing. You don’t got to change anything. You don’t got to do anything special. Just be you. You are special. Just go out there and play your ball.”
Bolden shared Monday that his favorite play was his interception in a win over Mississippi State. His favorite moment was getting to bring home the SEC championship, something Starks also did as a freshman.
Having Starks as a veteran teammate has helped the Buford native in his first season in Athens.
“Every day Malaki, he always asks me questions. ‘Are you good on this? Are you good on that?’ And just watching him every day, like being a great role model that he is,” Bolden said. “You can sit there and watch Malaki, he will always come practice every day, 110% ready to work. And as a freshman, just seeing an older guy doing that and watching him do all those type of things, it gives you ... a better mindset.”
Bolden acknowledges that it took him some time to match Starks’ and Jackson’s intensity on the practice field. That’s to be expected, even coming from a powerhouse program like Buford High School.
Georgia has a lot invested in Bolden being the next great safety. Defensive analyst and former coordinator Will Muschamp, Robinson and head coach Kirby Smart are working with him at various points, determined to make sure Bolden maximizes his vast potential.
“At Georgia, you have got to be physical. That’s what I’ve definitely learned about coach Smart,” Bolden said. “You know, it’s hard to win when you’re not physical. And then just him getting on us every day, him making us compete every day, not giving up on us, making us be our best every day. So just being able to play with coach Smart, you know, him coaching the defense a lot, it’s just definitely been a great experience.”
