Everything UGA Football Star KJ Bolden Said During Sugar Bowl Media Day

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New Orleans, LA - Georgia Bulldog star defensive back KJ Bolden met with the media on Tuesday moring to talk about Ole Miss, the 2025 season, and more.

Q. You guys have improved over the course of the season. Talk to me about how you guys have consistently improved over the course of this season, ever since the Tennessee football game.

KJ BOLDEN: Oh, yeah, we just had to take a minute to look at ourselves and see what we are good at. I think Coach Smart put us in a great position. The last couple of weeks, just seeing what we best at, even if it's man coverage or different zone coverage. It doesn't matter what the coverage is. He's just been seeing what the defense is doing great at. I feel like we are trying to get better every week. We have been trying to grind. We consistently try to keep getting better every day. I feel like our team keep doing that right there, we just keep getting better and keep improving every week.

Q. How have you guys improved in the back seven, in that area?

KJ BOLDEN: I say just communication and more confidence. We had a lot of guys who didn't play last year who had to step up for us this year. So just confidence, learning the defense. I feel like everybody got good knowledge for the defense now, and everybody is confident in their ability to go out there and compete.

Q. Having to play a team like Ole Miss for the second time this year, what have you guys seen from the first time that you played them to where they are at this point in the season?

KJ BOLDEN: We just got to execute. They are a very explosive offense. They score a lot of points every game. It's not one game they are not putting up points. You usually have to execute when your number is called. Just trust your teammates. Trust that your teammate is going to do their job, and you will do yours. You can't make nobody else play, and rely on fundamentals and technique. I feel like we are going to do that. After the first game, defense, we didn't feel good. We didn't have a good taste in our mouth about that one. So we will definitely try to go out there and compete for this one.

Q. They didn't punt until the third quarter in that football game. Guys, obviously, starting to get some three and outs and force them to punt and stop drives. How do you guys do that going up against a quarterback like Trinidad Chambliss?

KJ BOLDEN: We just got to start early. We got to start fast. I feel like last game we played them, we didn't start fast. We came out there and sloshed a little bit. Trinidad is a great quarterback. He's explosive and can use his legs. He's got a great deep ball. He throws every ball pretty good. We just got to just work as one, work as a team. You can't be trying to make a play out there by yourself. You got to do what the coaches call and keep them in the trap a little bit, just force them to do little things that they don't like to do.

Q. KJ, a year ago, you guys were in New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl, and now you're back with an opportunity in the game. Can you take me back to what that was like as a player, when you're going through everything, and maybe you woke up the next morning and saw the news of the attack on Bourbon Street. Just what went through your mind?

KJ BOLDEN: Yeah, there was a lot going through my mind. Definitely had a lot of distractions. A lot of things going on in the organization, that we just had our minds all over. But I'm not making that as an excuse as why we lost the game, because Notre Dame had the same distractions as well. I just feel like this year, we just got to come out faster, start better. We kind of already -- we been here last year. We already know what to expect from a bowl event. It's really a business trip. We have to come down here and focus and lock in and know what we got to get done.

Q. When that happened, just as a person, what was that like? Were you getting text messages from family? When did you find out? Did you have to wake up the next morning? Can you walk me through what that was like?

KJ BOLDEN: Definitely nerve wracking, just hearing about that. I would say I figured that out at night, but I went to sleep. I didn't believe it. When I woke up that morning, I definitely checked my phone and see all the news going around. You feel sorry for those who lost their loved ones, and our shout out goes to them. It was definitely, definitely scary moment, but I just knew we were going to protected in the hotel. We had security, and I wasn't worried about that.

Q. Is it interesting being back here a year later? Not the game, but back in New Orleans again one year later after something like that happens? KJ

BOLDEN: It's definitely interesting, but I know they are definitely going to make sure we are taken care of this year. I have seen it last night when we were outside, just the security, the high level of security, a lot of different police officers out there. So they are going to do a great job of taking care of us. We just have to make sure we're safe.

Q. How excited are you to get back on the field again?

KJ BOLDEN: I'm definitely very excited. I can't wait to go to practice today, complete a little bit, and this weekend go out there and have fun with my brothers. We worked so hard for this moment. So go out there and put it all out.