Bolden is a Trojan
SAN ANTONIO - - Rivals100 four-star safety Bubba Bolden was previously committed to be a USC Trojan and he made that commitment well before signing day 2017. But he backed off that pledge to look more closely at other schools.
“It was a great process,” Bolden told TrojanSports.com. “I think it was a great decision for me to de-commit just to see every school and get the feel for it. And from there, I made that final decision.”
His journey since led him to a final three of Arizona State, Ohio State and USC. And on Saturday, at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl and in front of a national audience on NBC, he chose to commit to the Trojans once again.
“First off I would like to thank God, I would like to thank my family for being with me through this process,” Bolden said on NBC during the game. “And I will be taking my talents to the University of Southern California.”
TrojanSports.com predicted the 6-foot-3 and 183-pound prospect would commit to USC well before this announcement. But rumors were swirling late that the product of Bishop Gorman HS would choose the Arizona State Sun Devils. But at the end of the day, Bolden stuck to his original pledge.
“My family, they supported me through this whole thing,” Bolden said. “They love USC, they have great coaches up there and I feel like I can go in and make a big impact.”
USC had apparently sold its program to Bolden again, and in a very big way.
“It was me talking to my family and just feeling the right vibe with the coaches and how everything is going,” Bolden said. “And just the whole thing, the feel of the school, how I would fit in at the school. And from there, I made my decision.”
A few factors may have helped USC get back ahead of every other school recruiting Bolden. USC’s late run at the end of the season definitely helped. Bolden admits that after USC’s 1-3 start, he had his doubts, like many others.
“For the first four weeks, it was pretty tough honestly,” Bolden said. “And from right there, I got that vibe that I don’t know if this program is going to accelerate more.”
Ronnie Bradford was also a big reason USC re-gainined a commitment from Bolden. The defensive backs coach started slow but eventually made a strong impression on Bolden as the year progressed.
“At the start, it was kind of soft but now he built he up,” Bolden said. “Once I de-committed, he said he was going to keep on recruiting me, nothing was going to change. Even though he didn’t offer me first, he was going to give me the vibe that he was the one that offered me, he was the one that wants me. So from then on, he’s been talking to me everyday and he built up the relationship.”