Bubba Bolden to USC: Trojans Land 4-Star Safety Prospect

Intriguing safety prospect Bubba Bolden announced Saturday at the U.S Army All-American Bowl that he's planning to play college football at USC.  

Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports confirmed the defender's choice of the Trojans.

Bolden is a 4-star prospect who rates as the No. 38 overall recruit in the 2017 class, according to the Scout rankings. He also checks in as the No. 2 safety in the country and the No. 1 player at the position from the state of Nevada.

The Bishop Gorman High School standout had originally committed to USC in December 2015. Still, he told Greg Biggins of Scout that he planned to complete the recruiting process, going through typical visits while still receiving offers from other programs.

Bolden is a safety with terrific range, rock-solid footwork and budding playmaking ability. He embraces the physical nature of the game, attacking the line of scrimmage to help against the run and doesn't shy away from contact in those situations.

Tom Lemming of the CBS Sports Network is bullish on the defensive back:

So it came as no surprise that Bolden continued to generate interest after the initial USC commitment. He had explained to Biggins earlier in the process the vital parts of his final decision.

"The biggest factors for me will be the atmosphere, how I connect with the coaches and just the feeling I get when I'm at the school," Bolden said. "I also want to play for a winning program, that's a huge factor. Coming from Gorman, winning is big, and I definitely want to continue that in college."

Those various desires are likely why he continued to see what else was out there. He wanted to make sure he made the right decision so he didn't regret it later on. 

Ultimately, Bolden decided none of the other opportunities presented to him could trump what USC brought to the table from the start. So he's sticking with the Trojans, which is great news for the program's 2017 class.

While it's difficult to project where he'll fit into the equation once he arrives to campus, the team has several upperclassmen among its safety group. So there should be an opportunity for Bolden to at least become a chief backup quickly.

Like most prospects at this stage of development, he still needs polish, but he has the tools to become one of the nation's top safeties within a couple of years.