Hurricanes safety Bubba Bolden received some advice from another Hurricanes safety who reached the NFL: Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed.
“He just said, ‘Do what you do, brother. You’re a football player. Go have fun. Be stress-free. Be confident,’” Bolden said. “That’s always me.”
Bolden will get a chance as the Seattle Seahawks, who have ex-Miami Hurricanes running backs Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas on their roster, signed him after the conclusion of the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday.
Bolden played three seasons with the Hurricanes after transferring from USC, and he made his mark. The hard-hitting safety played in 23 games for UM, making 127 total tackles with 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, six pass deflections and two interceptions. In 2020, he was an All-ACC second-team pick.
His final season in Coral Gables was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury. He tried to play through the injury for several weeks but ultimately missed the final five games. Bolden still managed to make 43 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one sack last year.
“It just shows that I’m a dog, that I’ve got that dog mentality in me,” Bolden said. “I ain’t going to let nothing faze me. But at the end of the day, they also said, ‘Yeah, we want you healthy, too.’”
Bolden recovered from surgery and worked to return to the field in time to work out in advance of the draft.
“It’s been crazy,” Bolden said. “First day of training was my first day running, running the 40. I remember going out there and clocking a 4.8, and I said, ‘Oh, it’s going to be a long two, three months.’ Staying down for the process, staying down with the meal plan, it’s all the little things. They paid off at the combine and they paid off [at Pro Day].”
At the NFL combine, Bolden ran a 4.47 40-yard dash. At the Hurricanes’ Pro Day on March 30, he put up 15 reps on the bench press.
“Coming off of surgery, I think that’s pretty good,” Bolden said.
Bolden said he believes he can earn a spot on an NFL roster and become a key player.
“At the end of the day, I’ll be a starting safety,” Bolden said, “and the rest will be history.”
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