Champion Bullough Will Jumpstart Family Legacy at MSU Early

For the second consecutive season, Max Bullough is a champion. The Michigan State verbal commitment led his Traverse City St. Francis high school team

For the second consecutive season, Max Bullough is a champion.

The Michigan State verbal commitment led his Traverse City St. Francis high school team hundreds of miles south into the City of Detroit and snatched another crown to cap his prep career. Bullough gave a bit on both sides of the ball with 11 tackles and an interception on defense and a touchdown to help the offense. The Gladiators beat Hudson 42-8 for its 26th straight victory.

Just last week, Bullough earned Division 7-8 player of the year honors as selected by AP sportswriters. The 6-foot-2, 230 pounder is also an academic All-State selection, sporting a 3.9 GPA. After the final game in Ford Field, Bullough finished with 122 tackles.

A Spartan legacy recruit, Max’s father, uncle and grandfather all donned the green and white as well. MSU should have another gem and Bullough plans to make his impact felt early; he’ll be enrolling at MSU early and should be on campus by Jan. 10.

“I plan on being there early, early January, as soon as the semester stars,” Bullough told Spartan Nation. “Right now I’m just trying to get in there and work myself in a little bit and see how it goes.”

MSU could be in line for yet another Bullough with younger brother Riley, a sophomore quarterback, making waves with one state title under his belt and a chance to keep the streak rolling for St. Francis into 2011.

MSU will be loaded once again at linebacker, with Greg Jones (assuming he eschews the NFL) and Eric Gordon returning as starters. After that, there will be a bunker full of talented youngsters vying to beat each other out on the depth chart. Chris Norman gained valuable experience as a true freshman this season; Jon Misch will be a senior returning veteran; and TyQuan Hammock, Jeremy Gainer and Steve Gardiner (redshirt) will be returning as sophomores, each itching to prove he’s the man for the job.

Although the Spartans will once again be loaded at tight end, MSU could be searching for a bit of depth in a tight end corps that underperformed at times this season. While his family’s legacy is on defense, Bullough did come through in big moments for the Gladiators on offense as a tight end and fullback. Although it might seem sacrilegious to bring a Bullogh into the Spartan program and put him on offense, if injuries take their toll and Bullough shows he can be a playmaker at the next level, stranger things have happened.

“Hey, I just want to play,” Bullough said, responding after the Division 7 finals victory to a question posed on the Spartan Nation message board. “Whatever I can do to help the team, I’ll play. If they want me to play kicker, I’ll kick. I don’t care.”

That’s the kind of attitude head coach Mark Dantonio is seeking from his commitments; players who want to work hard, on the field, throughout the offseason, in the weight room and, especially, when sitting behind a desk in the classroom. Bullough excels in every area, and the Spartans will be a better program with young men like him roaming the gridiron and representing the green and white with class and pride wherever he goes.