By John Frierson
Staff Writer

KJ Bolden had a very good freshman season with the Georgia football team. The safety made multiple Freshman All-America teams, the SEC All-Freshman team, and his 59 tackles ranked fifth on the Bulldog defense.

“What stands out first is just the ability to get on the field,” Bolden said Tuesday of his freshman season. “You know, it’s hard to get on the field at Georgia. Coach (Kirby Smart), he doesn’t just trust anybody. You’ve got to put in the work in practice for him to have the trust in you to put you out there.”

Bolden, a five-star recruit out of Georgia powerhouse Buford High School, was out there for every game. He started two, against Florida and Tennessee, had five tackles and a pass breakup against the Gators, and then had a season-high eight tackles against the Volunteers.

That was all good, but Bolden wants to be better. And with the departures of Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson, Georgia will need for the sophomore to raise his game in all areas in his second season.

“I feel like the biggest leap I’ve got to take this year is just being a better communicator. Last year, I really didn’t have to communicate that much because I was playing with older guys, and they were helping me out,” he said. “I want to take on the leader role and just be a better communicator out there on the field, helping get everybody lined up and making sure everybody knows what to do.”

Buford’s new stadium, with a price tag north of $60 million, made headlines recently due to its extravagance. It seats 10,000, with suites and other premium areas that you don’t see at the average high school facility. The Wolves have won 13 state titles since 2000, so clearly football has been a big-time sport there for a long time. And that big-time atmosphere even before the fancy new stadium helped Bolden prepare for playing at Sanford Stadium and elsewhere in the SEC.

“That’s one thing I love about my high school, Buford, we had a lot of people attend our games. It wasn’t 92,000 or anything, but it kind of got me ready and a little bit prepared for this next level,” he said. “I remember my first game (at Sanford Stadium), I was a little nervous the first time I got out there, but once the game started, I blocked it out and was ready to go.”

Heading into this season, Bolden was one of 13 Bulldogs to make the media’s preseason All-SEC teams, and one of 10 to make the first team. Of those 10 first-teamers, four were on defense: defensive lineman Christen Miller, linebacker CJ Allen, cornerback Daylen Everette and Bolden. 

In 2024, Georgia ranked eighth in the SEC in points per game allowed at 20.57 and eighth in yards allowed at 329.9. Glenn Schumann, Georgia’s Fain & Billy Slaughter Defensive Coordinator, said he’s looking for more consistency from the defense in 2025.

“I don’t think we were consistent enough to meet the standard (for Georgia’s defense). That’s just the reality,” Schumann said earlier this month. “You can’t have games against five playoff opponents, teams that made the 12-team playoff, and play really well there, and then have four other games where you give up 28 points or more, point blank, period. We know that it has to be better, and you can’t be up and down.

“Consistency is a mark of great defense. We talk about being a leader or not; to be a leader, you have to be consistent. That’s what makes something elite. So we can’t have up and down performances. Everybody in that room knows that when they came to Georgia, they came to Georgia to play championship-level defense, coaches and players included, and so anything short of that isn’t the standard.” 

Bolden has pushed himself to play at a high standard since he was young, after a rocky start in the sport. His dad, Kai, who played at North Carolina A&T, was the one who encouraged him to play the game initially, and then to keep at it when Bolden wanted to quit.

“I really didn’t like it at first, and I really did want to quit, but he wouldn’t let me. He was like, ‘You’re not going to be the best player the first day you start playing — it takes time,'” Bolden said. “He helped me see that it takes hard work and dedication. I’m just glad I trusted my dad on that. Now look at where I am; I’m at the University of Georgia.”

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.