2024 5*+ S KJ Bolden (UGa)

[ellitor 33,093]

6-0 / 185

Buford

Buford, GA

 

Notable offers: AU, UGA, Bama, Clemson, Ohio St, Florida, FSU, USC, SCar, Vols, OU, Michigan, Oregon, LSU, Penn St, ND, Miami, & Texas

UGA may be the favorite but sounds like AU has become a legit threat.

 

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

Hope so because J lee and Jhead didn't sound optimistic about him going anywhere besides UGA or Ohio ST

[ellitor 33,093]

8 hours ago, AU80cruiser said:

Hope so because J lee and Jhead didn't sound optimistic about him going anywhere besides UGA or Ohio ST

@AU80cruiser Doesn't sound like tOSU is even in his top 3.

[AU80cruiser 1,102]

4 hours ago, ellitor said:

@AU80cruiser Doesn't sound like tOSU is even in his top 3.

Pretty sure they said tOSU is running second but hopefully they are wrong.

[ellitor 33,093]

13 minutes ago, AU80cruiser said:

Pretty sure they said tOSU is running second but hopefully they are wrong.

@AU80cruiser I'm not going off them. I'm going off a recent KJ interview at a camp a day or 2 ago. They may not have read that interview yet.

[toddc 13,194]

 

[toddc 13,194]

Five-Star Plus+ defensive back KJ Bolden on NIL in recruiting: 'Some schools you know are lying'

Pete Nakos

(Photo by Chad Simmons/On3)

KJ Bolden can tell when a school is trying to bluff. 

The Five-Star Plus+ defensive back has no problem talking NIL with schools. With so many recruits and current college football players earning dollars from collectives, he would prefer coaches to just be honest. 

That does not always happen, though. Schools have thrown all kinds of financial packages at the fifth-ranked prospect in the country. Most NIL offers have dropped down to six figures in recruiting. The right five-star prospect could command a million-dollar agreement, yet spread out over three to four years.

Bolden knows what his value is, and he can tell when a school is lying.

“If a school is telling you that you’re going to get millions or in the millions range, that’s quarterback money,” Bolden said Tuesday after arriving for the On3 NIL Elite Seriespresented by Mizuno. “Receivers and safeties, we’re like in the $700K, $600K-ish range. Schools always tell me in those ranges there. I had a school tell me, ‘We’re going to get you $2 million during the first year.’

“Come on. Some schools you know are lying. Some schools you know who’s for real.”

Back in November, On3 chatted with a number of coaches and agents about how NIL had morphed into a game of lies. At the time, coaches were complaining about how prospects were lying to top programs about the NIL package being offered by other schools vying for their commitment. Now the bending of the truth seems to be going both ways.

Bolden has been on plenty of unofficial visits, and he has a jam-packed June of official visits with trips planned to Georgia(June 9), Ohio State (June 16) and Alabama (June 23). He is expected to visit Auburn in September, too. 

Trying to force schools to offer a NIL package is not the point of the conversations he has. A talented defensive back, his goal is to reach the NFL. Yet, he understands he will only play college football once.

“In college, you’re going to get paid if you play well,” he said. “You have to pay your best players or they’re going to transfer. I choose NFL over NIL. Once you get there, you can go a lot farther. You do want to get paid, but shouldn’t focus on it too much.”

KJ Bolden eyeing schools that help build brand

KJ Bolden is starting to sketch out what his NIL brand will look like. A rising senior at Buford (Ga.) High School, he knows he wants to give back to his community. Identifying which institutions will help build a brand is playing a role in his decision. 

The defensive back said he has been impressed by the pitch Ohio State has presented, specifically how they market its athletes. Alabama has plans for an Advantage Center which will include a staff that provides education and resources for athletes.

Georgia formed an NIL department in April, too. The in-house team will include an athlete marketing manager, who is being hired by Altius Sports Partners. 

“That definitely would make an impact on my decision because I want to start an organization, a nonprofit,” he said. “Help people out. I’ve always wanted to do something like that. Schools like Ohio State how they brand and market their kids is so better than a lot of schools. It definitely plays a role.”

[WDE_OxPx_2010 5,297]

This is not what college football is meant to be. Pay the guys, for sure, but we need rules and boundaries and nuance to it. What a crap show.

[Mikey 16,600]

18 minutes ago, toddc said:

Five-Star Plus+ defensive back KJ Bolden on NIL in recruiting: 'Some schools you know are lying'

Pete Nakos

(Photo by Chad Simmons/On3)

KJ Bolden can tell when a school is trying to bluff. 

The Five-Star Plus+ defensive back has no problem talking NIL with schools. With so many recruits and current college football players earning dollars from collectives, he would prefer coaches to just be honest. 

That does not always happen, though. Schools have thrown all kinds of financial packages at the fifth-ranked prospect in the country. Most NIL offers have dropped down to six figures in recruiting. The right five-star prospect could command a million-dollar agreement, yet spread out over three to four years.

Bolden knows what his value is, and he can tell when a school is lying.

“If a school is telling you that you’re going to get millions or in the millions range, that’s quarterback money,” Bolden said Tuesday after arriving for the On3 NIL Elite Seriespresented by Mizuno. “Receivers and safeties, we’re like in the $700K, $600K-ish range. Schools always tell me in those ranges there. I had a school tell me, ‘We’re going to get you $2 million during the first year.’

“Come on. Some schools you know are lying. Some schools you know who’s for real.”

Back in November, On3 chatted with a number of coaches and agents about how NIL had morphed into a game of lies. At the time, coaches were complaining about how prospects were lying to top programs about the NIL package being offered by other schools vying for their commitment. Now the bending of the truth seems to be going both ways.

Bolden has been on plenty of unofficial visits, and he has a jam-packed June of official visits with trips planned to Georgia(June 9), Ohio State (June 16) and Alabama (June 23). He is expected to visit Auburn in September, too. 

Trying to force schools to offer a NIL package is not the point of the conversations he has. A talented defensive back, his goal is to reach the NFL. Yet, he understands he will only play college football once.

“In college, you’re going to get paid if you play well,” he said. “You have to pay your best players or they’re going to transfer. I choose NFL over NIL. Once you get there, you can go a lot farther. You do want to get paid, but shouldn’t focus on it too much.”

KJ Bolden eyeing schools that help build brand

KJ Bolden is starting to sketch out what his NIL brand will look like. A rising senior at Buford (Ga.) High School, he knows he wants to give back to his community. Identifying which institutions will help build a brand is playing a role in his decision. 

The defensive back said he has been impressed by the pitch Ohio State has presented, specifically how they market its athletes. Alabama has plans for an Advantage Center which will include a staff that provides education and resources for athletes.

Georgia formed an NIL department in April, too. The in-house team will include an athlete marketing manager, who is being hired by Altius Sports Partners. 

“That definitely would make an impact on my decision because I want to start an organization, a nonprofit,” he said. “Help people out. I’ve always wanted to do something like that. Schools like Ohio State how they brand and market their kids is so better than a lot of schools. It definitely plays a role.”

So everybody is just ignoring the rule that NIL money cannot be used in recruiting? This whole setup is disgusting. I don't think it's sustainable and as far as I'm concerned the sooner it comes crashing down the better.

[Zeek 16,650]

I think we’re realistically running 2nd or 3rd but we’re in the conversation 

[woodford 3,655]

Looks like a future Georgia Bulldog to me

[NWALA Tiger 3,535]

On 5/31/2023 at 9:40 PM, WDE_OxPx_2010 said:

This is not what college football is meant to be. Pay the guys, for sure, but we need rules and boundaries and nuance to it. What a crap show.

Great post. This is what u get with basically no rules. Same thing in society,  though that's a post for the political board

Edited June 3, 2023 by NWALA Tiger

[lutzcammed 469]

the question for each player becomes:

do I want to win a championship 

do I want the best chance to get to the NFL

do I want to get paid now

 

if you want the third option the most, you gotta work it.....

[toddc 13,194]

 

[toddc 13,194]

Five-star safety KJ Bolden puts Auburn in final five, sets commitment date

JD McCarthy

KJ Bolden is one of the most coveted recruits in the country and on Sunday he trimmed his list of schools to five. The five-star safety will be deciding between Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, FSU and Ohio State when he announces his commitment on Aug. 5.

Bolden is from Buford, Georgia, and has taken several trips to Auburn. most recently for A-Day. He has yet to take an official visit to Auburn but has one set for Oct. 6, which is Auburn’s bye week. The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder is also expected to visit for Big Cat Weekend.

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He is the No. 6 overall player and No. 1 safety in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 2 player from Georgia.

Bolden is being recruited by Zac Etheridge and Wesley McGriff who have already teamed up to land three four-star defensive backs in A'mon Lane, Jayden Lewis and Kensley Faustin. While each one of them were top targets, Bolden would kick Auburn’s class to another level.

[toddc 13,194]

 

[W.E.D 11,070]

Odds at like 20%?

[ellitor 33,093]

On 7/2/2023 at 2:19 PM, W.E.D said:

Odds at like 20%?

Lower IMO. We are likely 4th behind UGa, Ohio St, & Bama.

[AUpreacherman22 3,885]

1 hour ago, ellitor said:

Lower IMO. We are likely 4th behind UGa, Ohio St, & Bama.

But it sounds like we get to put in the last bid.  If we wanna pay him TA&M $$$ then maybe we quickly ascend to the top of the ladder.  🤷‍♂️

[bigbird 60,525]

3 hours ago, ellitor said:

Lower IMO. We are likely 4th behind UGa, Ohio St, & Bama.

Closer than it seems

[ellitor 33,093]

16 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Closer than it seems

With him slated to now commit on August 25 we probably have to knock it out of the park at BCW.

[southern_sports 58]

If we were to somehow land Bolden, is he someone that would contribute almost immediately?

[W.E.D 11,070]

8 minutes ago, southern_sports said:

If we were to somehow land Bolden, is he someone that would contribute almost immediately?

Over looking the Buford Bust factor, but with our bad safety depth, he could probably start in 2023

[augolf1716 21,153]

10 minutes ago, W.E.D said:

Over looking the Buford Bust factor

So frickin true

[W.E.D 11,070]

8 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

So frickin true

It's basically Texas level.  Seems like every good kid out of that school has really underwhelmed recently.  Wild how that's happened 

Edited July 11, 2023 by W.E.D