Editor’s Note: As of 9/29/20 Alex has received a Preferred Walk-on offer to join his brother at The University of Nebraska.
Football I.Q. is a term that’s often tossed around by coaches and recruiting specialists alike. Stereotypically, it describes a good football player whose measurables don’t stack up well against others.
You know the story. He’s not the fastest guy in the world, but he’s got a high football I.Q. Or, he’s on the smaller side, but his football I.Q. is off the charts. It’s not that at all when Creighton Prep head coach Tim Johnk talks about his senior captain Alex Bullock. “He understands things before you even really have to coach him on it,” Johnk said. ”He’s got a football I.Q. that is unmatched at the high school level.”
At 6’2” and 180 pounds, Bullock has a frame that coaches love. Long and lean, with plenty of room to add muscle. He’s versatile, starting both at wide receiver and defensive back for Creighton Prep’s Junior Jays for the past two seasons. “He’s so competitive, ”Johnk said. “His ball skills are terrific.”
Despite all that, Bullock is not a household name in the Metro football scene, like Omaha Westside’s Avante Dickerson or Bellevue West’s Keagan Johnson. He doesn’t make anyone’s top ten list of players in the state. He’s not holding any FBS offers. Well, he’s not holding any FBS offers yet. But that could change quickly. Mostly because Bullock can ball.
Bullock is classic diamond-in-the-rough material. His coach says as much. And Bullock very much wants to play college football. It’s almost a family tradition, at this point. His older brother, John, walked on and is currently on the team at the University of Nebraska, while his father played at Midland University in the 1990s.
It also seems to be family tradition to fly under the radar. “His senior season was really what put him on the map,” Bullock said of his brother. “That’s really what’s going on with me. I guess the biggest thing I took away from that was just patience.”
It’s not as though Bullock’s recruitment has been barren up to this point. He is holding a D-I offer from FCS South Dakota State. And bigger schools are calling. Nebraska, Northern Illinois, and Washington State have all made contact. True to his brother’s teachings, Bullock is remaining patient.
Johnk believes a big-time offer is coming. “People miss the boat on this kid,” he said. “They need to get on board because they’re going to miss a dude.” Johnk emphasizes the last word, “dude,” giving it a weight deserving of a difference-making player.
Bullock also wants to be a difference maker on the field, but also off it. The medical field may be in his ultimate future. The sciences are his favorite classes, appropriately enough. “I love helping other people and trying to better other people’s lives,” Bullock said.
To that end, Bullock hasn’t made up his mind on where he’ll suit up in 2021. His list of deciding factors have very little to do with football. He says he wants a place that feels right for daily life. He wants a campus that is comfortable. And he wants a school with the strong academic standards that will propel him into his desired career. “I love to learn,” Bullock said. “I’m big on education.”
Bullock clearly has plenty of intelligence, but he’s also an exceptional athlete, leader and competitor. Yes, he’s also a “high football I.Q. guy.” But in this case, it’s not a backhanded compliment. If Johnk is right, it’s just another thing the right school is going to love about Alex Bullock.
Friday night Creighton Preparatory takes on Millard West at 7:00 pm CT. Free on YurView Omaha (Cox Ch. 13) or the Cox Contour App.
