First Visit to Florida State in Nearly Two Years Catches Five-Star DB KJ Bolden's Attention

"Florida State's just always been my dream school. I feel like everything about Florida State is perfect."

The Seminoles had an opportunity to host one of the top prospects in the country - Five-Star Safety KJ Bolden - over the majority of Monday and Tuesday. From beginning to end, the coaching staff was focused on making an impression on Bolden to improve their standing in his recruitment.

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As he arrived at the Moore Athletic Center to kick off his visit, Florida State's entire staff was waiting on him as the Warchant blared in the background. Head Coach Mike Norvell, Defensive Backs Coach Patrick Surtain Sr., and Defensive Coordinator Adam Fuller were among the coaches to welcome him to Tallahassee.

"That was crazy," Bolden said to NoleGameday's Dustin Lewis. "It's like the second time that ever happened for real so it really caught me off guard when the whole coaching staff came and shake my hand. That means like the school really cares for you and they're really big on you for sure."

Coming into the trip, Bolden was looking forward to interacting with some of Florida State's new coaches, namely Surtain Sr. After being hired by the program in January, this was the first chance for the two to meet in person. They've been steadily building a relationship and Bolden kept a close eye on him during practice.

"I love the way he coach. He's big on technique, he's going to make sure your technique right," Bolden said. "He just got here so he doesn't know the whole defense yet so he's kind of letting coach Fuller help him with the defense but I feel like when he's coaching the corners and their technique, and making sure they know what they're talking about and what they're doing, he's doing a great job at that for sure."

"Our relationship is good. He texts me every week. We chop it up, get on the phone. When I got down here in person, he was just a really nice guy," Bolden continued. "One thing about the coaching staff, they're going to keep it real with you. They're not just going to give you the recruiting talk, the fake talk, they're going to always keep it real with you. What you gonna get in recruiting is what you gonna get once you get here so that's how it is." 

The Georgia native was able to spend extensive time with Coach Fuller and Coach Surtain Sr. He sat in on meetings with the defensive backs and noticed how they interacted with the players.

"I would definitely say coach Fuller and coach Surtain, the way that they coach. The way that they get into them guys," Bolden said. "They try to pour into them a lot, make sure they know everything they're doing in meetings. He's calling on someone saying 'tell me what this call is or you tell me what this call is' and I just like the coaching that they do."

Being one of the only recruits on campus and a high priority at that, Bolden was attached at the hip with Coach Norvell for the majority of the trip. Norvell personally toured the campus with him which is something unique compared to other visits he's been on.

While sitting down with Norvell in his office, Bolden could tell that his mom was clicking with the message. His family will play a role in his eventual decision.

"He was just like telling me if you want to come to Florida State, don't come here just because of yourself, don't come here just because you want to play early or just because of money," Bolden said. "Come here because you really want to come here. He was just talking to me, everything he was saying was real. When I looked at my mom's face and she was shaking her head, she doesn't really do that a lot. He got her approval so I like that a lot."

Bolden noted that he grew up a fan of Florida State and watched every game of the program's ten-win campaign in 2022. He feels like things are only going to get better for the Seminoles moving forward.

"The program's definitely changing for sure," Bolden said. "We brought in definitely a bunch of good guys that will help us out. I'm a fan so you know I watched every game last year. Last year, we had a good year, coach Norvell brought us back with ten wins. So, this year, watching them practice, get after it. I feel like we're definitely going to have a good year, definitely top ten season for sure."

Coming out of the visit, Florida State has "definitely changed something" in his recruitment. He's planning to have a long conversation with his family as he considers a possible Official Visit to the program that he refers to as 'my dream school.'

"I wasn't really looking for much but they've got new coaches so I wanted to interact with the new coaches," Bolden said. "Florida State's just always been my dream school. I feel like everything about Florida State is perfect."

"It definitely changed something for sure," Bolden continued. "Me and my family, we'll be in the car. I'm on my way to Alabama after this so we'll definitely be in the car talking about it for sure but they definitely impressed me on this visit right here."

Bolden claimed that he's looking at dropping his list of official visits towards the end of the month - April 29 or 30. If he doesn't return to Florida State for an official visit, he'd like to return for a game during the fall.

At this time, the only official visit he has locked in is to Ohio State on June 16-18. His cousin is the safeties coach for the Buckeyes.

Outside of that, spring visits to Alabama and Auburn are on the horizon. A lot of schools are calling with Bolden being one of the most coveted prospects in the country.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound safety is regarded as the No. 4 overall prospect, the No. 1 S, and the No. 1 recruit in the state of Georgia in the 2024 class according to 247Sports.

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