DALLAS — The big news when it comes to the safety position for Georgia wasn’t the dismissal of David Daniel-Sisavanh on Tuesday.
Head coach Kirby Smart stated that Daniel-Sisavanh had been dismissed for a violation of team rules, dancing around questions of whether or not the dismissal stemmed from driving issues.
“At the safety position, we’re just not very deep,” Smart said. “We’ve lost and had to dismiss David Daniel, so there’s an opportunity there for somebody to step in and play.”
That someone might be freshman KJ Bolden. Smart certainly made the case for Bolden at SEC media days on Tuesday.
“I think KJ Bolden has a chance to really help us out,” Smart said. “He’s athletic, he’s intelligent. He comes from a really good high school program. He got 15 practices in spring, and he approaches every practice like a veteran. So, where he is right now is probably ahead of where Malaki was at that time, and Malaki was able to play as a freshman. So, I’m excited about what KJ is going to do.”
Bolden was perhaps Georgia’s most marquee signee in the 2024 signing class. He played for Georgia powerhouse Buford High School but initially spurned the in-state Bulldogs for Florida State.
But at the start of the December signing period, Georgia was able to successfully earn the signature of Bolden.
The No. 1 ranked safety in the 2024 recruiting cycle quickly impressed in the spring. He worked mostly with the second string as he learned the intricacies of the Georgia defense. It helped Bolden that Starks missed the spring with a shoulder injury, giving Bolden more reps. Starks will be fully ready to go when the Bulldogs open up fall camp in the coming weeks.
Georgia could get creative and play JaCorey Thomas or Joenel Aguero at safety in a pinch. But the Bulldogs like what those two could possibly do at the star position.
Georgia has veteran Dan Jackson to pair with Starks at secondary, along with Alabama transfer Jake Pope. But if Bolden can follow Starks’ example both on and off the field, he’s got a chance to really help the team right away.
“Really just being where your feet are at,” Starks said on what advice he has for Bolden. “College is a huge shock, especially when you first get here. We here at Georgia do things a little differently. Just when you first get here, just try and stay where your feet are at and just do the right things. And get around the crowd you want to be like.”
Starks showed what a freshman at safety could do back in 2022. He started 14 games for the Bulldogs that season and earned All-Freshman honors. He finished the campaign with 68 tackles and 2 interceptions, one of which memorably came in his first career game against Oregon.
That contest was played in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where Georgia will open this season against the Clemson Tigers. The Bulldogs have just over six weeks between now and then to get ready for the upcoming season.
It’ll be a pivotal time for Bolden if he is to live up to the lofty standards he arrived at Georgia with. With the losses at the safety position, Georgia is counting on Bolden in a way it may not have when he first flipped from Florida State.
As Bolden gets set to enter his first fall camp, which is set to begin shortly, his head coach raised those expectations to an even higher level.
“Those young players, they’re going to play now more than they ever have because of the physicality of our league and the number of games,” Smart said. “So who can get those guys up to speed fast enough is critical.”
