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As one of the Miami Hurricanes prized hauls from the transfer portal over the offseason, redshirt sophomore S Bubba Bolden finally arrived on campus last week after completing his summer class and being cleared by the NCAA (he is immediately eligible). The former USC athlete is still going through an adjustment period on and off the field, but is optimistic about his future at the U.
“It’s been good, everything’s good. I’m just getting adjusted to the weather, a little bit more humidity here,” Bolden said. “Just learning the new defense. The defense is kind of similar (to USC), but just got to learn the concepts, learn the terminology. It should be good.”
Missing the first half of fall camp is never ideal for any player, but especially one that is new to the team and the culture of Miami. Although he’s been set back a bit, Bolden still feels he’ll have a role at some point in 2019.
“I’m going to contribute in any type of way, wherever these coaches want to put me at, I’m just going to go out there and do my best,” Bolden said. “I’m going to find my way on the field.”
Bolden did not play in the most recent scrimmage and has been working only in shorts due to NCAA rules, but will be able to go into pads this week. He currently lists himself at 6-3 195, essentially the same measurables as he was at his old school.
“I’m comfortable playing at this size. Playing-wise, I was 195 at SC,” Bolden said. “I should be solid - in the offseason, that’s when I’ll probably bulk up.”
As he’s been a limited participant in practice so far, Bolden has only gone against one UM WR so far.
“The WR’s are very elite that I’ve seen, but the only receiver I’ve gone against in 1-on-1’s is Mike Harley,” Bolden said. “He’s got that speed, I played against him in high school, he’s always been like that.”
How did his high school (Bishop Gorman) fare against Harley’s team (St. Thomas)?
“You know we won in overtime.”
Even though he hasn’t been in a college level S&C program in over a year, the Bishop Gorman standout has been working out on his own in the offseason to stay in shape.
“Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning and running,” Bolden said of his offseason. “Working on my hips, doing a lot of speed training, speed lifting. Just work.”
The Canes are replacing two senior starters at safety, but Bolden feels they will be just fine as a group with plenty of talented athletes.
“You got Amari Carter, Gurvan (Hall), you got the freshman Keontra, Derrick Smith, Robert Knowles,” Bolden said. “These guys are all ball players, they’ve been here for awhile, they know the defense, they know what to do. I feel like this is an elite group. You got coach Banda, you got coach Diaz, you got coach Rumph. Everybody in that DB corps is very elite. I think we should really elevate this season.”
In the recruiting process, coach Banda was Bolden’s primary recruiter and Bolden picked Miami partially due to Banda’s track record of developing his players.
“He’s a great coach. You see what he’s produced in the NFL. You see what he’s done in the past,” Bolden said. “I feel like he’s a smart coach that knows what he’s doing. He keeps thing simple and wants you to play fast and just be smart.”
The team has begun full-on UF prep this week, but Bolden says the coaches are stressing to not get caught up in the hype of the rivalry game and to keep to focus on playing Miami football.
“We just got into this week - all we’ve been focusing on is working on ourselves, working on our team just to get better,” Bolden said. “We’re focused on us right now, we’re focused on getting better every day, fixing the little things, and preparing for that first game.”
What does he expect from the 2019 Miami Hurricanes?
“It’s an elite football team in every category,” Bolden said. “I feel like this is a great team and I feel like we should do some great things this year.”
Bolden also noted that he does not expect his former high school teammate Tate Martell to transfer away from the Hurricanes in light of losing the offseason QB battle.
“It’s been good, everything’s good. I’m just getting adjusted to the weather, a little bit more humidity here,” Bolden said. “Just learning the new defense. The defense is kind of similar (to USC), but just got to learn the concepts, learn the terminology. It should be good.”
Missing the first half of fall camp is never ideal for any player, but especially one that is new to the team and the culture of Miami. Although he’s been set back a bit, Bolden still feels he’ll have a role at some point in 2019.
“I’m going to contribute in any type of way, wherever these coaches want to put me at, I’m just going to go out there and do my best,” Bolden said. “I’m going to find my way on the field.”
Bolden did not play in the most recent scrimmage and has been working only in shorts due to NCAA rules, but will be able to go into pads this week. He currently lists himself at 6-3 195, essentially the same measurables as he was at his old school.
“I’m comfortable playing at this size. Playing-wise, I was 195 at SC,” Bolden said. “I should be solid - in the offseason, that’s when I’ll probably bulk up.”
As he’s been a limited participant in practice so far, Bolden has only gone against one UM WR so far.
“The WR’s are very elite that I’ve seen, but the only receiver I’ve gone against in 1-on-1’s is Mike Harley,” Bolden said. “He’s got that speed, I played against him in high school, he’s always been like that.”
How did his high school (Bishop Gorman) fare against Harley’s team (St. Thomas)?
“You know we won in overtime.”
Even though he hasn’t been in a college level S&C program in over a year, the Bishop Gorman standout has been working out on his own in the offseason to stay in shape.
“Conditioning, conditioning, conditioning and running,” Bolden said of his offseason. “Working on my hips, doing a lot of speed training, speed lifting. Just work.”
The Canes are replacing two senior starters at safety, but Bolden feels they will be just fine as a group with plenty of talented athletes.
“You got Amari Carter, Gurvan (Hall), you got the freshman Keontra, Derrick Smith, Robert Knowles,” Bolden said. “These guys are all ball players, they’ve been here for awhile, they know the defense, they know what to do. I feel like this is an elite group. You got coach Banda, you got coach Diaz, you got coach Rumph. Everybody in that DB corps is very elite. I think we should really elevate this season.”
In the recruiting process, coach Banda was Bolden’s primary recruiter and Bolden picked Miami partially due to Banda’s track record of developing his players.
“He’s a great coach. You see what he’s produced in the NFL. You see what he’s done in the past,” Bolden said. “I feel like he’s a smart coach that knows what he’s doing. He keeps thing simple and wants you to play fast and just be smart.”
The team has begun full-on UF prep this week, but Bolden says the coaches are stressing to not get caught up in the hype of the rivalry game and to keep to focus on playing Miami football.
“We just got into this week - all we’ve been focusing on is working on ourselves, working on our team just to get better,” Bolden said. “We’re focused on us right now, we’re focused on getting better every day, fixing the little things, and preparing for that first game.”
What does he expect from the 2019 Miami Hurricanes?
“It’s an elite football team in every category,” Bolden said. “I feel like this is a great team and I feel like we should do some great things this year.”
Bolden also noted that he does not expect his former high school teammate Tate Martell to transfer away from the Hurricanes in light of losing the offseason QB battle.
