Nebraska Cornhuskers Outstanding Commit Wins 2023 Missouri POY
For prospects looking to play as a member of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, or any program, there is typically a natural desire to want to play for the school of your home state. But when deeper ties allow for a closer connection with a program, it’s easy to see why a highly sought-after recruit would choose to travel across to a neighboring state to play their college football. When a neighboring school is able to beat out a top homegrown talent from a nearby football power, that’s usually a good indication of the recruiting efforts of the staff.
Nebraska Cornhuskers Recruiting Missouri Top Player
Coaches make it clear how important it is to keep elite talent in-state. So when Nebraska Cornhuskers commit Keelan Smith was announced as the MaxPreps Missouri Player of the Year shortly after earning a state championship, his news only added to the recent wave of success that has crashed on the ears of fans of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are returning linebacker John Bullock in a move that fills out a position group that lost some key players this offseason.
Bullock started his career with Nebraska as a walk-on, but he earned a scholarship this year from new head coach Matt Rhule. The Nebraska native is a Creighton Prep product and was a fan of Nebraska for his entire life. In an article on NebraskaRivals, Bullock outlines how much it means to him to play for the Huskers.
“It means the world to me,” Bullock said of Rhule putting him on scholarship. “I’ve been working for this day ever since I got here. It was awesome to be able to share that with my teammates, and I’m very appreciative of Coach Rhule for that. … Growing up as a Nebraska kid, that was my team. That’s all I watched. It means the world. It was my dream to play here. I don’t take it for granted at all. It’s a dream come true for me.”
Rhule and the rest of the team recognized Bullock’s potential before the season. Bullock earned his single-digit number through a process wherein his teammates vote on the program’s toughest players. The former walk-on had a career year, and he took to social media to announce the use of his COVID year Thursday.
Before contributing significantly during the 2023 season, Bullock only had six tackles as a Husker. Even though Bullock’s been a member of the team for five years, he only recorded stats starting in 2021.
Bullock found himself in a solid contributing role this year within defensive coordinator Tony White’s 3-3-5 defense. Bullock accrued 50 tackles throughout the course of the season, with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble to boot.
The mid-November game against the Maryland Terrapins was the only game this season in which Bullock did not record multiple tackles. Half of the games this year saw Bullock post five or more tackles in a season that saw him play in all 12 games.
Bullock was a key contributor to the best Nebraska Cornhusker defense since joining the Big Ten
Bullock and his teammates were responsible for propelling first-year defensive coordinator Tony White to one of the best defenses Nebraska has seen since joining the Big Ten. It was the first Big Ten season in which the Huskers managed to hold opposing offenses to fewer than 20 points per game on under five yards per play.
Tony White’s exceptional performance in his first year earned him many head coaching opportunities this offseason, but Nebraska gave him a pay raise to keep him around. White earned a 60% raise, upping his salary to $1.6 million after interviewing for the San Diego State head coaching job on top of being a candidate for the USC defensive coordinator position.
Bullock was part of a front seven that made Nebraska the seventh-best rushing defense in the nation, as they allowed just 92.9 yards per game. They were also ranked ninth in yards per play, allowing just 4.62 yards per play this season.
