GEORGE BULLOCK, 6-2, 195 PK KNOXVILLE [KNOXVILLE WEST HS]
Ratings: Rivals 2* kicker, Scout 3* No. 9 kicker, ESPN 2* No. 32 kicker, 247 2* No. 15 kicker. Chose UT over Navy.
STRENGTHS: Bullock has a very strong leg and could come in and compete right away -- especially the way Michael Palardy has struggled with consistency in his first two seasons. According to several services, the ball comes off Bullock's foot very well. He is also tall and athletic with a strong build, and he has really good height on his field goals [from watching film]. His high school coach said he averaged 70 yards per kickoff with an average of a 3.9 hangtime. Hopefully, he can continue that at UT.
NEEDS WORK: Consistency. Like most kickers, he doesn't make square contact all the time. He has a great work ethic, and that will help him to learn consistency. He's also not the most accurate at short range, and those are going to have to improve before he starts playing at UT.
CREDENTIALS: He was recipient of an invitation to the Offense-Defense All America Bowl. He also shined at the Kohl's Southern Showcase Camp in Dec. 2010. As a junior, he booted 86% of his kickoffs into the end zone, and that number rose this year. He made 5-of-8 field goals and 32-of-34 extra points as a senior at West.
OPTIMISTIC CEILING: It's hard to predict a ceiling for a kicker. After all, Palardy was the top-ranked kicker in the country coming out of high school, and he has struggled. We just need somebody who can consistently kick it deep on kickoffs, getting some touchbacks. We also need somebody who puts enough height on his field goals that they don't stand a chance of getting blocked by a lineman's butt at the line of scrimmage. It's been a long time since we've had that at UT. Hopefully, Bullock can provide it.