Auburn · L 24-27
No tackles.
Bolden has tackles in 7 of Georgia’s 8 games: none against Auburn.
“Glad to see Bolden is out there.”
4 stories this week, from 2 outlets.
As of
The case is the completeness. As a sophomore in 2025 he posted 76 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions, and 2.5 tackles for loss — numbers that say he plays downhill in run support AND covers on the back end — and earned second-team All-SEC, one of five All-SEC players Georgia returns in 2026. He's a preseason All-American and a Jim Thorpe Award watch-list selection: the versatile, communicating safety the modern two-high game is built around. The forward stakes are Georgia's perennial title defense — Bolden is the eraser who lets the Dawgs disguise and play their cover-everything style. The 2026 question is whether the ball production catches up to the range, whether the five breakups become interceptions and the near-misses become game-changers. For a player already the most complete safety in the country, that's the line between an All-American and a top-ten pick.
Update (Oct. 28, 2026): Georgia lost 27-24 to Auburn on Oct. 17 as a 19.5-point favorite and is 6-1. Bolden has 22 tackles this season, seven each against Vanderbilt and Alabama, and had no tackles against Auburn. He intercepted Oklahoma's John Mateer and returned it 29 yards.
Sources
Play style
Bolden is the rare safety who lives in two worlds at once — 76 tackles say he plays downhill, fills the alley, and arrives with bad intentions in run support, while five pass breakups and two picks say he can carry a slot or rob a route on the back end. That versatility is the modern safety prototype, and it's why ESPN calls him the best returning one in the country. He's the communicator who sets the secondary, the eraser who lets Georgia disguise — a defense's quarterback as much as its enforcer. The film texture is in the trigger: how fast he reads run-pass and drives on the throw. The growth edge is the ball production catching up to the range — turning those five breakups into interceptions.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
from 2 outlets
Is Georgia DB KJ Bolden playing vs. Florida? Latest injury update
UGA Wire Oct 31 · 1 outlet
from 13 outlets
SEC Availability Report | Georgia's KJ Bolden listed as questionable for Florida
Online Athens +1 Oct 28 · 2 outlets
The Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionWhy star safety KJ Bolden could be the last of his kind at GeorgiaAug 10
Locked OnGeorgia Bulldogs Secondary resembles Champs—Ellis Robinson III, KJ Bolden impressSep 2
University of Georgia AthleticsGeorgia defensive back Khalil Barnes (7), Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Hall (44), Georgia defensive back Ellis Robinson IV (1), Georgia defensive back KJ Bolden (4), Georgia inside linebacker Terrell Foster (30), Georgia inside linebacker AJ Kruah (13)Sep 26
DawgNationDawgNationUniversity of Georgia AthleticsThe Atlanta Journal-ConstitutionEach week: his team’s game, the stories about him that week, and the week’s biggest news headline.
Stories are headlines grouped by what they are about, counted through Nov 4.
Fans first named KJ Bolden vs Western Kentucky.
DawgNationOct 29
Sports IllustratedOct 26
Yahoo SportsOct 26
On3Oct 22Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 6 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 7 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 63-3vs Tennessee State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 70-20vs Western Kentucky | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 45-17@ Arkansas | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | W 41-13vs Oklahoma | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 38-14vs Vanderbilt | 7 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 7 tackles |
| Wk 6 | W 20-17@ No. 6 Alabama | 7 | 3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 9 | W 27-8vs No. 17 Florida | 6 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 28 | 20 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 31 · W 27-8 vs Florida, play by play
6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: disruption in the backfield — 2 tackles for loss, in the 7 games with play by play.
How Georgia’s defense played that day
Florida’s 9 drives: 8 stopped (3 takeaways) · 1 scored. While the game was within a score they held 3 of 3.
7 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss on 3rd and 10. Fourth quarter, up 20-17.
7 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle, including 1 interception. His interception on 3rd and 9 ended Oklahoma’s drive (int).
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted on 3rd and 9. Second quarter, up 21-0. Ended Oklahoma’s drive (int).
4 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Broke up a pass on 3rd and 14. Third quarter, up 31-3. Fans named him again and again right after: the most-talked-about moment of his game.
“Ok Bolden, that was beautiful”Georgia fan, r/CFB game thread
2 tackles, including 1 more for loss.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Week 6 · 2026
W 20-17
at Alabama
0.5 sacks · 0.5 tackles for loss · 7 tackles
A close one, won by 3 on the road.
Ratings of the games shown run from -12 to +21 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
7%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
28tackles this seasonTFL rate
7%2 TFL28 tackles · 2 for loss · 0.5 sacks · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
3 seasons under Kirby Smart — 30-6 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 7 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.8 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.7 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 6.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kirby Smart
Pass share
45.5%
220 pass / 263 run
Plays / game
60.4
8 games
Team sack rate
3.7%
244 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot to repeat All-SEC
Based on 2025: #13 of 57 SEC DBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 22% of returning players who ranked #11–20 at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 19–25%).
2026 is in progress.
A blue-chip recruit with honors.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-SEC · 2ND TEAM
All-SEC 2nd team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed every college season under Kirby Smart.
