5-star safety KJ Bolden picks Florida State over Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Ohio State

Published Aug. 05, 2023, 6:38 p.m.
By Ainslie Lee |
As the old saying goes, you can’t win them all.
After a remarkable week of recruiting which saw Hugh Freeze and Auburn land a pair of 5-star prospects in linebacker Demarcus Riddick and wide receiver Perry Thompson, as well as the pick up of 4-star cornerback Jalewis Soloman on Saturday, the Tigers weren’t able to land their next big target.
KJ Bolden, a 5-star athlete who was primarily being recruited as a safety, announced his commitment to Mike Norvell and Florida State Saturday evening, picking the Seminoles over Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and Ohio State.
Bolden attended Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend last weekend and gushed about his time on The Plains after the fact. Bolden told Auburn Undercover’s Christian Clemente afterwards that a conversation with Freeze on July 29 nearly had him ready to commit.
But Bolden elected to return home and sleep on his college decision. And whatever transpired in the last week led the blue-chip target to Tallahassee, where he joins the nation’s sixth-ranked recruiting class for the 2024 cycle, according to 247Sports.