Things were fairly slow on the recruiting front while the coaches were on the road during the spring evaluation period.
Following the coaches’ reunion upon their return, the momentum certainly started to pick up as a new wave of offers were extended and Tennessee native Alex Bullard made a return trip to campus.
Things kept moving in the right direction during the first week of June as recently offered offensive tackle Michael Schofield had a successful visit on campus, outside linebacker Dan Fox gave his pledge to the Irish during his visit the following day, and Bullard announced his intentions during a Friday morning press conference.
“I called Coach (Charlie) Weis yesterday afternoon and let him know that I was ready to commit to Notre Dame,” the 6-foot-3, 275-pound lineman reported on the Thursday night prior to the press conference. “He was pleased and really excited that I’m coming to Notre Dame.”
Bullard’s first trip to South Bend was for the Blue-Gold game and he left campus with an Irish offer in hand.
After returning home from that trip, he reportedly listed Tennessee as his slight leader over the other contenders. The Volunteers remained as one of his favorites, but the Irish were capable of overtaking the lead by their recruiting efforts over the last month.
“Notre Dame and Tennessee were my top schools. Michigan was in there too,” Bullard said of his finalists. “Both Tennessee and Michigan are great schools. It’s nothing against their programs, but Notre Dame is just a better fit for me.”
Brentwood, Tenn. is a strong support area for the Tennessee Vols and Bullard grew up as a fan. After the Irish successfully accomplished one of the toughest feats in recruiting – winning an in-state battle – it wasn’t easy for him to notify the local coach.
“I had to call Tennessee to let them know about my decision because my coach (Ralph Potter) has a good relationship with them. It’s the right thing to do out of respect for their program as well,” he said. “I talked to Coach (Phil) Fulmer yesterday and that wasn’t an easy call to make at all.”
Brentwood Academy lost in the Division II AA state championship game against Montgomery Bell Academy, 12-0, after the Eagles brought home the title the previous season. Bullard, who contributed as an offensive tackle and is being recruited as an offensive guard, plans on leading his team to another state championship in his senior season with most of the talented players returning.
By noticing the similarities between Notre Dame and his high school, it certainly helped him make his final decision.
“Basically the biggest thing for me was life past football,” he said. “It’s a smaller school with a smaller setting and a smaller environment. Notre Dame is more tailored to how I operate in the classroom and it’s similar to my school. I like the smaller campus community and smaller classes.”
Well, that and his parents openly expressed their interest in Notre Dame as well.
“My parents were pulling for Notre Dame,” he shared. “They made sure to leave the decision in my hands, but they told me that they liked Notre Dame.
“I told my dad on the way home from the visit that I wanted to go to Notre Dame and we told my mom when we got home. They sat me down and wanted to make sure that it was my decision and not what I thought they wanted me to do.”
Now that Bullard has become the seventh verbal commitment of the 2009 recruiting class, he plans on playing the role of a recruiter and helping Notre Dame’s efforts. He was already in contact with defensive tackle commit Tyler Stockton and wants to reach out to others the way Stockton did him.
“I could see myself doing something similar to Tyler and helping out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll get the no. 1 recruiting class.”
There’s still quite a bit of time to land a top recruiting class, but adding Bullard certainly helps the Irish continue in the right direction.
As other top prospects continue to hit campus throughout the summer, hopefully they’ll have a similar feeling to Bullard and feel prepared to commit to the Irish as well.
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