Rocket Spotlight on Daniel Bolden

Daniel Bolden is a senior linebacker from Cincinnati, Ohio. He played in every game for the Rockets from 2018-2020 before injuries caused him to miss the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He returned to the field in 2023 and finished second on the team with 94 tackles. Bolden has twice been named a nominee for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

On growing up and his start in football
"I've been around football my whole life. My dad and my uncle have both coached and many members of my family have played. I started playing when I was about four years old and I've loved the game ever since. As far as positions, it's more a question of 'what didn't I play?' I played running back, quarterback, wide receiver, safety, cornerback, linebacker, all of them."

On his recruiting process and how he chose Toledo
"Recruiting was a busy time for me, especially hearing from coaches all the time. I got up here in Toledo and around Coach Candle and met some of the older players that were here. I felt like Toledo was home since I was close to my family, and they were winning, so it was a no-brainer to me."

On current Rockets who helped him understand the program during the recruiting process
"I spent a lot of time with Tyler Taafe when I was being recruited. I met with him a few times just to talk about life on campus and how it was playing here. I also met Tycen Anderson, Mitch Berg and other student-athletes that were freshmen when I was in high school whom I would play with when I came to Toledo."

On getting early playing time and what he gained from the early reps
"I hoped for that playing time. The early opportunity was one of the deciding factors of why I came here. I figured with the depth we had at linebacker when I joined the program, I could be on special teams or on defense wherever they needed me. I was hoping to make an immediate impact. I also graduated early from high school, so coming here in January helped me learn the defense and be able to get that playing time."

On the difference between high school football and college football
"The speed of the game is much different between high school and college. Everyone can fly around the field at this level. Moving up from high school, where you're normally one of the best players on the field, I was able to experience the speed of the game and learn the playbook which were huge for how I'm playing now."

On having season-ending injuries in back-to-back years, recovering
"Those were tough times. It really shows you who you are as a person when you deal with adversity. It was a fight to get up every day and take care of my body while I was recovering. The recovery process shows you how resilient you can be. Having the ability to get up and keep fighting every day is something that's really important to me."

On focusing on other opportunities during his time on the sidelines
"I had a lot of personal growth through that time with my faith. I was actually able to go up in the press box and shadow Coach Vince Kehres, see how he saw things and understand the game from a different point of view. It helped me last season and will help me through this year as well."

On adapting to different coaches and coaching styles
"Every coach is a little bit different. Coach Kehres is a very laid back guy and he tries to keep everything even-keel. That was a little bit different than Coach Ward who was my linebackers coach when I started. He was always screaming and bringing the energy. They're different styles, but Kehres' calmness affects us by helping us stay calm and focused on the sidelines. When he's calm, locked in and ready to do what needs to be done, everybody else is locked in too."

On being named a nominee for the 2022 and 2023 Allstate AFCA Goodworks Teams and how community service has impacted his teammates
"Coach Candle's motto is 'give more than you take.' Being able to get out in the community and spend time with the Food Bank, local elementary schools and The Boys and Girls Club has been great. Getting to go to these places, being around the kids and hearing their stories, playing basketball with them and so much more have all positively impacted my life, and I hope I have impacted them."

"For our players, being around those kids, hearing their stories and learning how things are, these interactions have changed a lot of their perspectives. Hearing the kids say they want to be in our shoes brings us back to when we were in theirs and dreamed of playing college football. Being around those kids and being an inspiration to them is huge for our players."

On life after football
" I want to get into college coaching. My older brother Joe is the special teams coordinator and a defensive assistant at Tulsa. He's showed me the ropes and worked his way into those roles. I love this game too much to walk away from it. It's going to be around me forever."

Players Mentioned

Daniel Bolden

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