Nick Bolton was born in Frisco, Texas, where he attended Lone Star High School. Bolton put up 111 tackles and one interception in his junior season and went on to amass 130 tackles and 5 interceptions in his senior year. He then committed to the University of Missouri, where he had a brilliant 3-year career. During his time with the Tigers, Bolton was named to the First Team All-SEC in both 2019 and 2020, and received the AP Second-Team All-American honor in 2020, alongside the likes of Kadarius Toney, Javonte Williams, and many more.