The 2011 Scouting Report: Expected to play a key role in NU's secondary, most likely as a safety or the team's nickel back ... Continues to improve his defensive knowledge ... Runs extremely well ... Also will contribute significantly on special teams.

2011:Reserve cornerback ... Sat out the Boston College game with a leg injury ... Saw season's first action vs. Eastern Illinois and registered one solo tackle ... Two solo hits at Army ... Missed the Illinois game with an injury ... Returned to action vs. Michigan ... One solo tackle vs. Iowa before leaving the game with a head injury ... Equaled a career high with four tackles vs. Penn State ... Credited with one tackle vs. Indiana and Nebraska ... Registered a pass breakup in the win over Rice ... Had one solo tackle vs. Michigan State ... Totaled three tackles, which included a 0.5 TFL, vs. Texas A&M in the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

2010: Reserve cornerback ... Played in 12 of 13 games (did not play vs. Purdue) ... Two stops in TicketCity Bowl vs. Texas Tech and at Wisconsin ... One tackle vs. Illinois and Iowa ... Credited with one tackle at Penn State ... Notched a career-best four tackles vs. Michigan State, including his first career TFL ... Three tackles at Rice ... Recorded one stop at Vanderbilt.

2009:Played in seven games and totaled one tackle ... Saw a majority of his snaps with NU's special teams.

2008: Participated in Alamo Bowl vs. Missouri ... Two tackles vs. Illinois ... Recorded one solo special teams tackle vs. Ohio State and at Indiana ... Collected one tackle against Ohio ... Earned three tackles against Southern Illinois ... Credited with one stop in the win at Duke ... Had one tackle in his collegiate debut vs. Syracuse.

2007: Did not see action ... Named team's defensive practice player of the week twice (vs. Nevada and Purdue) and tabbed the team's special teams practice player of the week twice (vs. Eastern Michigan and Illinois).

High School: Rivals.com All-Region, SuperPrep All-Midwest and Velocity/PrepStar All-Region cornerback ... Ranked 12th among all players in SuperPrep Illinois player ranking and 14th among all players (third among defensive backs) in Rivals.com Illinois player ranking ... Ranked 33rd-best cornerback nationally by Rivals.com and 36th-best cornerback nationally by ESPN/Scouts, Inc. ... A two-time (2005-06) All-Central Suburban South Conference, all-area and all-region honoree ... 2006 preseason Chicago Tribune all-state team ... Starred on both sides of the ball, notching 88 tackles, 11 interceptions, 2 sacks and 4 recovered fumbles as a cornerback his senior season ... On offense in 2006, rushed for 1,600-plus yards, 22 rushing TD's, 8 receiving TD's and also threw a pair of touchdown passes ... 2,000-plus all-purpose yards as a senior ... One of his top statistical games came against Niles West in 2006: 41 carries for 344 rushing yards, three rushing TD's, one receiving TD, one interception, 11 tackles, one sack and 88 passing yards ... Lettered all four years in football and track for the Wildkits ... Set ETHS school marks for career TD's scored (66), as well as most TD's by a freshman and sophomore (varsity records) ... Also set single-season all-purpose yardage mark ... One of his prep coaches was D'Wayne Bates, a former NU star and Hall-of-Famer ... Four-year Honor Roll member and freshman Honor Society ... Coached by Tony Johnson.

Personal: Born Michael Lewis Bolden ... Son of James and Jan Bolden ... Father, James, played football at Michigan (1973-76) ... First Evanston Township H.S. football player to attend Northwestern since Leonard English was a member of the Wildcats in 1993 ... Played against current Wildcat Carl Fisher (Bolingbrook) ... Sociology major.