BRADENTON, Fla. — The recent NFA 7v7 Southeast Regional tournament at IMG Academy was the best I have seen FSU commitment Isaiah Bolden look. Ever.
Is Oregon a threat to flip 4-star DB Isaiah Bolden from Florida State?
He recently put Oregon in his top two, despite being an FSU commit.
I shot two consecutive games of Bolden, consisting of about 50 plays. The 6’2 cornerback from Wesley Chapel (Fla.) locked his man down and was rarely thrown at: four attempts, two breakups, one completion. He also showed some versatility, playing safety later in the tournament.
Bolden recently named a top two of FSU and Oregon, despite being committed to FSU for almost a year now. The Ducks have been making noise in the state since the hire of Willie Taggart, the former USF coach — but not really with prospects the big Florida schools want.
“Oregon has been heating up, recruiting wise. I talk to their whole coaching staff, and getting a visit up there will be really key,” Bolden said. He plans to visit in June and for an official with his parents.
“Florida State has always been there since early sophomore year,” Bolden said.
Bolden says FSU asked him about the development.
“We discussed it, and I told FSU that Oregon is kind of a threat, but not really,” Bolden said of naming a top two despite being committed. “Just doing the recruiting process and seeing what Oregon can offer.”
“We discussed it, and I told FSU that Oregon is kind of a threat, but not really,” Bolden said.
“No. Na. There was no point in decommitting,” Bolden said when asked if he considered it. “Because Florida State’s Florida State. It’s my home. Oregon is just making a push right now.“
“So it’s kind of like making a dinner reservation one place and not wanting to cancel while you check out another option?” I asked.
“Exactly,” Bolden said, adding that he was reserving a spot in the class while keeping an option open.
“I want to see how I would fit in at Oregon, and I would fit in well,” Bolden said. “I just want to see how the visit goes, and then take an official with my parents.”
Bolden plans to return to Tallahassee over the summer, as well.
Having covered recruiting in Florida for a decade, it’s routine for prospects to discuss Oregon, before eventually realizing it is 3,200 miles away from home. Oregon rarely signs Sunshine State prospects the big three of FSU, Miami, and UF want. So I asked Bolden why he was different than all the other Florida prospects who discuss Oregon each year. Bolden has no family or connections out West.
“It doesn’t really matter to me about the distance,” Bolden said. “I went to Vegas for the first time and loved the weather, the mountains, the view.”
Bud’s take
Bolden is a very good prospect, and is starting to show more football skill as opposed to just being a size and speed projection.
Florida State has had committed prospects release top lists before, and the trend is becoming more common. But it’s also been clear that if prospects look around, it will as well. In the 2017 cycle, it dropped committed linebacker Demarco Artis after his repeated flirtation with Oregon and Baylor, where he later signed. Certainty is important in recruiting to an extent, and it’s possible for a recruit to overplay his hand.
But I can’t blame Bolden for wanting to check out his options. Recruiting is about the only time a future college athlete has leverage in the NCAA’s framework.
We’ll see how serious Bolden is about Oregon when and if the visit happens.
