Auburn football went 1/2 on defensive back recruits on August 5; losing out on 5-star Buford, Georgia safety KJ Bolden but landing the commitment of 4-star Schley County cornerback Jalewis Solomon despite looking like a South Carolina lean. The latter was highly complimentary of the Auburn football coaching staff, calling Tigers CB coach Wesley McGriff “electrical” and crediting both he and Hugh Freeze for making him feel wanted on the Plains.
“Man, Coach Crime is electrical,” Solomon said (h/t Auburnundercover). “He’s always going to make sure I have a great time here, he’s always going to make sure I love it. He makes feel like an Auburn DB as of right now.
“I’d love to play for Coach (Hugh) Freeze, like why not? He kind of made a point when we were talking to him, he’s — whenever he beat ‘Bama in 2012 — it’s like, man, that’s different. He was saying that whenever I get here he’s going to make me a big impact for this team and I feel wanted here.”
Auburn football recruiting miss leaves the door open for a potential flip down the line
Following his somewhat shocking decision to spurn Georgia for Florida State, Bolden said some very interesting things that could indicate a potential flip down the line if things don’t stay in Tallahassee the way they are now. Particularly of note was his acknowledging that it isn’t good to commit to a school because of a coaching staff.
“Coach Norvell, he showed me that he was willing to do whatever to make me successful. He said he’ll do everything in his power and he’ll never give up on me,” Bolden prefaced before saying, “It’s not good to commit because of a coaching staff, but I feel like I’m close with all those guys. They’re always texting me, even if it’s offensive or defensive coaches, both sides, I just felt real close with that school.”
Initially, Bolden indicated that his recruitment looked certain to lead him to his home state school up north in Athens.
“I thought I was going to Georgia because it was the hometown,” Bolden prefaced before saying, “But, I had to get used to the recruiting process and learn a little more. Now that I’ve been in the process, I’ve seen different views of it and where I really see myself.”
Perhaps it still could. Or maybe the Plains could be in play if Hugh Freeze has AU ahead of schedule and Mike Norvell’s Seminoles underperform. Either way, this one doesn’t feel set in stone — and truthfully in this day and age, no recruitment really is –, despite Bolden calling FSU his “dream school.”