Demir "D.J." Boldin (born June 20, 1986) is an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coach and former player. He is the wide receivers coach for South Carolina State University, a position he has held since 2024. He previously was the head football coach for

Lake Erie College Lake Erie College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Painesville, Ohio. Founded in 1856 as a female seminary, the college converted to a coeducational institution in 1985. As of the 2016–2017 Academic term, academic year, ...

from 2022 to 2023. He has also served as an offensive assistant for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

. He played

at Wake Forest. He signed with the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

Early years

Boldin was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year by the Palm Beach Post. He was an A first-team all-state selection. He recorded 107 tackles, two interceptions and four forced fumbles as a senior in high school, along with 29 receptions for 691 yards and nine touchdowns as a wide receiver He was selected to the first-team all-state as a linebacker.

College career

Redshirt Freshman

Boldin was named to The Sporting News' ACC All-Freshman Team. Boldin finished second on the team in receiving yards and fourth on the team in receptions. He played nine games and started six, where he recorded 15 receptions for 224 yards, a team-best 14.9 yards per catch. Boldin made his first career reception against

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, a 14-yard reception. He had three catches against Clemson for 36 yards. Boldin also had a season-high four receptions in Tallahassee against

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

for 58 yards and Boldin caught three passes for 54 yards at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. He had two receptions for 15 yards at Georgia Tech. He did not play in the season opener against Vanderbilt because of a coach's decision and missed the Miami game with injury.

Sophomore season

In 2006, Boldin sat out his sophomore season due to academic reasons, but was still a member of the football team.

Junior season

Boldin recorded 11 reception for 127 yards while appearing in all 13 games in which he had a successful return in 2007 after missing the 2006 season. Caught his first pass since 2005 when he snagged a 14-yarder in the season opener vs. Boston College (Sept. 1) ... Had two receptions vs. Virginia (Nov. 3) and Clemson (Nov. 10) ... Made two receptions for 47 yards in the Meineke Car Care Bowl ... His longest catch of the season was a 38-yarder that led to a first down on a third-and-17 against Connecticut.

Senior

Boldin led the ACC with 81 receptions and 848 yards, with 3 touchdowns. Boldin was second in the ACC with 65 yards per game, and averaged over 10 yards per catch. Boldin was second behind North Carolina wide receiver

Hakeem Nicks Hakeem Amir Nicks (born January 14, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at North Carolina, and was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Nicks has also played for t ...

. He finished his career with 107 receptions, 1,199 yards, and 3 touchdowns.

Professional career

Detroit Lions

After going undrafted in the

2009 NFL Draft The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 25 and 26, 2009. T ...

, Boldin signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent. In September of 2009, Boldin was released on the day that final cuts were announced.

Toronto Argonauts

On October 19, 2010, Boldin signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

. In the 2011 CFL season, Boldin recorded 3 receptions for 35 yards with the Argonauts.

Personal life

Boldin's older brother is retired

wide receiver

Anquan Boldin Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. (; born October 3, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State University and was drafted by the Arizona Ca ...

. He is the cousin of four-time

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

All-Star defensive back

Korey Banks Korey Banks (born August 7, 1979) is a former Canadian football defensive back. He was most recently a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He played college football for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Profession ...

Head coaching record

External links

DJ Boldin profile
at Argonauts.ca
San Francisco 49ers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boldin, DJ 1986 births Living people American football wide receivers Canadian football wide receivers Players of Canadian football from Florida Lake Erie Storm football coaches San Francisco 49ers coaches Toronto Argonauts players Wake Forest Demon Deacons football players High school football coaches in Florida People from Pahokee, Florida Coaches of American football from Florida Players of American football from Palm Beach County, Florida