Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs punished the Clemson Tigers 34-3 last Saturday. Fueled by some stifling defense, the Dawgs held Clemson to a paltry 188 total yards of offense. There were several key contributors for the Dawgs in the defensive performance, but KJ Bolden was one who stood out.
The head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs joined The Steakhouse on Thursday and spoke about the freshman safety after the impression he made in the win.
"I've seen great athletes that struggle to play," Kirby Smart said about Bolden. "But he's a great athlete that understands the game of football."
The former five-star safety from Buford was listed as the 15th-overall prospect in the class of 2024, and the top safety in the nation. He played 49 of a possible 52 defensive snaps, which was the most among Georgia defenders, and finished with four tackles.
Despite obvious talent, playing a freshman in his first career college football game against a top-15 opponent is not common. This is especially uncommon for a program as deep as Georgia's.
So why did Kirby feel confident in playing Bolden?
"His practices," Kirby said definitively. "[Bolden] went through 15 practices in the spring, and it was never overwhelming for him, he never had a lot of fuss. He's very instinctual and he sees things really well. He understands leverages and then he's a great athlete.
"We make a lot of adjustments in our defense and he's had no trouble picking that up. He's very wise beyond his years."
