George Bullock kicks off for during the 2011 Toyota East vs. West Tennessee All-Star Classic. He is now a Vol.KNOXVILLE – Like the other thousands of fans inside Neyland Stadium that cloudy afternoon on the third Saturday in April, George Bullock saw what happened.
One Tennessee kicker missed a field goal. The other followed suit shortly thereafter.
Bullock’s reaction was natural for someone who would soon enter the Volunteers’ kicking competition.
“It happens to everyone,” he told the Times Free Press earlier this week. “I’m never going to say, ‘Good, my teammates messed up,’ or anything like that. But I am glad to have the opportunity that I’ve been told I’m going to be able to have — the opportunity to come in and compete with all the other kickers.”
The recent Knoxville West High School graduate made the short move to UT’s campus earlier this week along with most of the Vols’ 2012 signing class. When UT begins its summer program Monday, the wide-open place-kicking competition will begin among freshman Bullock, junior Michael Palardy and sophomore walk-on Derrick Brodus. It’s one that figures to extend into August.