The Ohio State Buckeyes have just missed out on a big recruitment target, with five-star safety KJ Bolden announcing his decision to commit to the Florida State Seminoles. Ohio State football was among the schools on the list of Bolden, including SEC programs Georgia Bulldogs and Auburn Tigers, but it's the ACC member who is now expected to feature the safety in its defense in 2024, per Tom VanHaaren of ESPN.

“Bolden is the No. 16 prospect overall in the 2024 class and the No. 2 athlete. He's a 6-foot-1, 190-pound recruit from Buford High School (Buford, Georgia) and had nearly every major program after him. Despite all the choices he had, Bolden believed Florida State was the best one.”

Bolden explained that a major reason behind his choosing of Florida State football as his college destination is the school's history of producing elite defensive backs.

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“The culture and the history behind it,” Bolden shared. “Deion [Sanders], Derwin [James], Jalen Ramsey, all the great guys that went to that program. They bring a lot of great experience from a defensive back spot and I wouldn't mind being a part of that.”

Bolden also said that he initially thought that he would call Athens home in college, as the University of Georgia is only an hour away from home. But things changed when he got to know more about the other schools that showed interest in him as well.

Ohio State football would have loved to see Bolden choose the Buckeyes, but in any case, the program still has a bevy of talents coming its way in 2024. The Buckeyes' 2024 recruitment class is ranked second overall by 247 Sports at the moment.