Anquan Boldin Jr., Son of Former NFL Star, Commits to Buffalo for Basketball

George Halcovage III added a notable name to his first recruiting class as the men’s basketball coach for Buffalo.

Anquan Boldin Jr., who is the son of former NFL wide receiver Anquan Boldin, announced he is joining the Bulls’ class:

“With a lot of thought and prayer and the support of family and friends, I have decided to commit to the University of Buffalo—the best place for me to pursue higher education and my dream of playing professional basketball,” he wrote.

“From the moment I stepped foot on Buffalo’s campus, I felt at home. The team genuinely welcomed me, and the coaches’ transparency and encouragement were comforting.”

Rachel Lenzi of the Buffalo News noted the younger Boldin chose the Bulls over Manhattan, Eastern Michigan and North Carolina A&T.

Boldin is a guard who can handle the ball, defend multiple positions and facilitate if needed. He averaged 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and one block per game while playing for IMG Academy’s postgraduate team in Florida this past season.

“George really likes having big guards on his team,” Boldin said, per Lenzi. “He wants me to be versatile and he sees me as a person who could be a two-way player, a great defender and a scorer and someone who can distribute the ball.”

Halcovage is looking to turn things around for Buffalo after the program missed the NCAA tournament in each of Jim Whitesell’s four seasons at the helm. The new coach was a longtime assistant under Jay Wright at Villanova and helped the Wildcats win two national titles and seven Big East regular-season crowns.

As for the elder Boldin, he entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2003 and played 14 seasons for the Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

His resume features a Super Bowl title, three Pro Bowl selections and seven seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards.

Boldin tweeted that he was a “proud father” who is “excited to see where this journey takes us” after his son’s decision.