Buford curse? KJ Bolden flips that on its head by joining Georgia football No. 1 class

Ding Dong. The Buford curse is dead.

Time of expiration was about 1:20 p.m. Wednesday when five-star safety KJ Bolden went public that he had flipped his commitment from Florida State to Georgia football.

Those who bought into this recruiting conspiracy theory that Buford players were steered away from going to play for the Bulldogs in Athens had more ammunition on Monday when Bolden’s teammate, five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola, announced he would play for Nebraska, not Georgia

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How much NIL money may have contributed to leading Bolden about an hour away to play for Kirby Smart and Georgia is hard to gauge.

Raoila spent one season at Buford after arriving from Arizona for summer workouts.

Bolden has been at Buford since his freshman year, becoming a two-year starter at safety, wide receiver and kick returner.

Bolden’s mother, LaKiesha Wright, addressed the curse after a Georgia fan mentioned it on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, when Raiola’s official visit to Nebraska last weekend was announced. He committed to the Bulldogs in May.

“If you don’t know what you’re talking about be quiet,” she replied. “Yall get on social media with craziness everyday.” She asked what Buford has to do “with a player not wanting to attend UGA??? Kirby has a good relationship with our coaches at Buford. We are tired of yall honestly.”

Signing Day’s spot on the calendar as a national holiday of sorts for those that live and breathe college football had been on the decline in recent years, but Bolden gave Georgia fans reason to feel good after the team’s three-peat chances ended when they were left out of the playoff.

The main event flipped from February to December and now is overshadowed by the constant churn of the transfer portal this month.

Back to the Buford curse, which had enough legs through the years because of top Buford players going elsewhere.

I asked coaches there this summer while there to interview Raiola and Bolden for stories.

“I know that stigma’s out there,” fifth-year head coach Bryant Appling said.

“I’ve heard that but I don’t pay attention to it,” eighth-year offensive coordinator Gus Condon said.

Bolden becomes the first Buford player to sign with Georgia since offensive lineman Josh Cardiello in 2013.

Georgia just went up against an Alabama team whose roster includes four players from Buford: receiver Isaiah Bond, offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin, running back Justice Haynes and defensive back Jake Pope.

Haynes’ father is Verron Haynes, who caught the famed “Hobnail Boot” pass at Tennessee in 2001.

“We don’t get involved in what schools kids pick,” Appling said. “I always tell them you go somewhere regardless of the position coach, regardless of the head coach. You go somewhere you can see yourself for four or five years.”

Appling said he and his assistants are actually “as close to UGA and their staff as any other staff. I know these guys personally. I love them. They’re great guys. They treat us really well. For whatever reason, some of our kids haven’t chosen them in the long run.”

Losing Raoila to Nebraska was big news Monday (it was the third subject talked about on ESPN’s PTI), but more impactful for the 2024 Bulldogs was the announcement that starting QB Carson Beck is returning.

Don’t think recruiting still matters in an era when the top three finishers in the Heisman Trophy voting were all transfer quarterbacks?

Just look at Georgia’s starting lineups in the SEC Championship game. Every starter on defense and all but one on offense (wide receiver Dominic Lovett from Missouri) were players Georgia signed as recruits.

It’s still the backbone of a program that has gone 41-2 the last three seasons.

“We want to recruit really good high school players,” Smart said late last month when talking about the transfer portal. “I think that's important to college football and our game, to recruit really good high school players and develop them, but unfortunately the more that go in, the more we have to research the portal and take, otherwise you can't sustain.”

Georgia added Vanderbilt transfer wide receiver London Humphreys on Tuesday and there will be more transfers joining the roster.

The Bulldogs signed 28 players on Wednesday, the last being Bolden.

Georgia once again flexed its muscles as a national recruiting force, securing the No. 1 class.

The Bulldogs landed the top-ranked prospects from Virginia, Tennessee and New Jersey and the No. 2 prospects in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Indiana, New York and Connecticut.

Seven Buford players rated in the top 15 in the state went elsewhere since 2014, but Bolden is different.

Georgia already has a commitment from 2025 Buford four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte.

“I know sometimes some people don’t want to stay home,” Bolden said last summer. “Try to get out and go other places. Georgia is a great program. I guess they’re missing out.”

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: KJ Bolden's flip to Georgia football smashed to pieces the Buford curse