Pahokee coach Boldin leaving for college position in Ohio
The chance to coach at the college level drew Pahokee coach D.J. Boldin away from his alma mater.
After two seasons as the Blue Devils’ head coach, Boldin announced Thursday that he had accepted a position as the wide receivers coach for Division II Lake Erie College in Ohio.
“It happened extremely fast,” Boldin said. “Obviously, I talked to my kids, talked to my family about it. It’s bittersweet, but everybody knows that it’s a necessary step in my career. I have visions, I have plans, I have goals, and this opportunity presents itself.”
Boldin, who is the brother of former Pahokee and NFL star Anquan Boldin, said the Lake Erie head coach, Reilly Murphy, reached out to him, and the hiring process unfolded quickly. He said he’s leaving for Ohio on Saturday and starts his new position on Monday.
“He reached out to me, told me my résumé stood out, I stood out to him, personally, from when I was a player and whatnot,” Boldin said. “We did the interview process, and not even two days later, he called back and offered the job.”
Boldin said he told the team on Wednesday in a video meeting. He said defensive coordinator Emmanuel Hendrix will be the interim head coach.
“I just shared my heart with them,” Boldin said. “I told them the opportunity that’s given, but I also assured them that a lot of pillars are going to stay in play, a lot of cornerstones, a lot of the coaches are going to (be) retained.”
Boldin coached 18 games at Pahokee, going 8-10 over the course of the 2019 and pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Boldin was named the Sun Sentinel’s Palm Beach County small schools coach of the year after Blue Devils finished the 2019 season 6-6 after starting the year 1-5.
Pahokee made the Class 1A playoffs, won two playoff games and nearly upset reigning champion Madison County in the Class 1A state semifinals. It was the furthest Pahokee had gotten in the playoffs since they won the 2008 state championship (not including the 2016 title run that was later vacated). The season was the subject of the CuriosityStream documentary “4th and Forever:
Muck City.”
Pahokee went 2-4 in 2020, dropping games to resurgent Dwyer and Glades Central programs during the regular season and losing to Dillard in the Tri-County playoffs.
“My mom always told me to leave ap lace better than when I inherited it, and I truly believe the things I implemented, the foundation that I’ve laid at the program, changed the program back into a great program,” Boldin said. “I truly believe that’s going to be my mark in the histories when it comes to Pahokee.”
Boldin’s replacement will be the Blue Devils’ fourth coach in the seven years following former coach Blaze Thompson’s retirement.
Pahokee is the fifth Palm Beach County school that will have a new coach next season, joining Cardinal Newman, John I. Leonard, Santaluces and Wellington.
“I will always be a part of Pahokee,” Boldin said. “That’s my alma mater. That’s my home. So, I’ll always be a part of Pahokee. And this isn’t goodbye. This is coach Boldin building a bridge from South Florida, from the muck, all the way to Ohio.”