Bolden should be fully recovered from injury

Miami Hurricanes safety Bubba Bolden was peaking when his first season at UM came to an abrupt halt, the product of an ankle injury in celebration of his first interception as a Hurricane in early November at Florida State.

Bolden was likely to return to the team at some point during spring drills after the midair collision with fellow safety Gurvan Hall in celebration of his takeaway caused him to land awkwardly on the ankle. The 6-foot-3, 184-pound redshirt junior was recovering quickly, according to Miami defensive coordinator Blake Baker, before the coronavirus pandemic suspended all college athletic activities in March.

“He was recovering at a very fast pace, and really, we probably were going to get him the second half of spring,” Baker said in a web conference with reporters last week. “I think he’ll be 100% [when the team gets back together].”

First eligible to play coming off his transfer from Southern Cal in the fifth game last season, against Virginia Tech, Bolden ended up playing in five games. He had 11 tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup to go with his interception.

“We were just starting to see that glimpse of him last year and how good of a player he can be,” Baker said. “He’s very smooth on the back end. [He] really does a great job with his hips transitioning, covering a lot of ground, and does it deceptively because of how long he is.

“I think the sky is the limit for a guy like Bubba Bolden. Football comes pretty natural to him. I think with a full season and a full offseason and him getting comfortable within this defense, I think we’ll see even a bigger improvement out of him this year.”

Tracking players recovering from injuries has been a challenge with Hurricanes coaches and trainers unable to meet with players in person.

“That was a big concern, obviously, not being able to get in to a doctor regularly,” Baker said.

Miami rehabilitation coordinator Jeff Ruiz has been in contact with recovering players and coaches alike, indicating that many of the defensive players are ahead of schedule, according to Baker.

“That’s a tremendous accomplishment, a huge tribute to those kids and to him,” Baker said. “I’ll be honest, that was a huge, huge concern when this thing started: How is this all going to unfold? But he’s done a heck of a job.”

Aside from Bolden, other Hurricanes defenders that were recovering from injuries in the spring included linebackers Tirek Austin-Cave (shoulder), Sam Brooks (shoulder), Corey Flagg (knee), Bradley Jennings Jr. (hip) and Waynmon Steed (knee).