Tag: Calen Bullock

Ducks Wire evaluates USC safety Calen Bullock

Oregon and USC don’t meet until November 11, but @Ducks_Wire already has its eyes on the Trojans’ safety.

Our friends at Ducks Wire will join us in the Big Ten next year. They will also help us cover the big November 11 game between Oregon and USC.

Ducks Wire’s Miles Dwyer offered a short evaluation of USC safety Calen Bullock:

“Calen Bullock, who was my pick for the 2023 Pac-12 defensive player of the year, should at the very least be the standout safety from the conference. Bullock is a solid tackler and run-stopper, but where he shines best is in the air as a ball hawk. Last season, Bullock had five interceptions, the most of any safety on this list. After another year of development, there is no limit to the potential of this young safety and what he can accomplish in his third year as a Trojan defender.”

Bullock will definitely have his hands full against the elite quarterbacks and formidable passing attacks of the Pac-12. How his cornerbacks help him will be an important component of the USC defense this season.

Check out Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team previews for 2023:

Arizona — Arizona State — California — Colorado — Oregon State — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State

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Calen Bullock named to 2023 Bronko Nagurski watch list

If Calen Bullock lives up to the preseason hype, USC should be in good shape.

USC safety Calen Bullock was named to the 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List last week. The award has been presented annually since 1993 by the Football Writers Association of America to the player judged as the best defensive player in the country.

Calen Bullock, a junior, will lead the Trojan secondary in the 2023 season . He started all 14 games in 2022 and led the team in interceptions with five (ranked 11th in the nation). He also tallied 48 tackles and five pass breakups. He was named to the 2022 All-Pac-12 Second Team and the AP All-Pac-12 First Team.

In his three-year career, he has 87 tackles, 7 interceptions (running one back for a TD) and 8 pass breakups while appearing in 26 games with 14 starts.

Bullock will be asked to anchor a USC secondary in which a lot of positions are in flux as preseason camp continues. Players are being coached at multiple positions, and we could see a lot of shuffling between roles and positions. Nickel, dime, and other positions on the roster have not been nailed down. Bullock is expected to provide stability amid the lack of permanence in some parts of the USC secondary.

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The most important safeties to know in the 2023 Pac-12 season

The most important safeties to know in the 2023 Pac-12 season

As we continue our preview of the 2023 college football season in the Pac-12 conference, we are going to shift our focus from individual teams to individual positions. The last several weeks have been spent picking apart each school out west, finding where they improved the most over the offseason, and identifying what realistic expectations should be for them going forward.

You can see them all here: Arizona Wildcats — Arizona State Sun Devils — California Golden Bears — Colorado Buffaloes — Oregon State Beavers — Stanford Cardinal — UCLA Bruins — USC Trojans — Utah Utes — Washington Huskies — Washington State Cougars

Now, we’re going to look at position groups as a whole in the conference. Whether it’s a quarterback or a linebacker, a punter or a safety, there are dozens of highly talented players out west. We want to go through them all, position group by position group, and highlight some of the most important names that fans should know at each spot.

Quarterbacks — Wide Receivers — Running Backs — Tight Ends — Offensive Line — Defensive Line — Linebacker — Cornerbacks

In a conference such as the Pac-12 which has always been heavily pass-first and pro-style in terms of offense, it is only natural that there be a focus on the defensive secondary in order to counter the opposing team’s prolific passers and receivers.

Today, I’ll take a look at who I think are the most important safeties for Pac-12 fans to know ahead of the 2023 season. Some of them are ball hawks, some negate the run, but many are strong hybrids of the two qualities and add a lot to their respective defensive units.

Below are the top safeties in the Pac-12 for 2023:

Calen Bullock, Mason Cobb nationally seen as leaders of USC’s 2023 defense

In terms of national/regional perceptions of #USC’s defense, Bullock and Cobb are looked at as the two best players.

The preseason All-Pac-12 teams were released on Tuesday. On defense, only one USC Trojan was named to the first team, safety Calen Bullock. Two Trojans made the second-team defensive roster. One was Eric Gentry, who played well in the first half of the 2022 season for USC before getting hurt. He returned to the field late in the season but was not physically ready for Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Gentry’s inclusion on the second team might be viewed as the most pleasant surprise for USC on the preseason All-Pac-12 rosters. 

The other All-Pac-12 second-teamer for USC is an incoming transfer. Former Oklahoma State linebacker Mason Cobb, who will represent the Trojans at Pac-12 media day this Friday, made the second team.

Let’s cast aside the topic of how USC players are viewed internally. What coaches and players think is an inside-the-program vantage point. In terms of national and regional perception of USC, it seems clear that Calen Bullock and Mason Cobb are seen as the leaders of this defense.

Part of this flows from the reality that USC had significant injuries in the secondary last year, most notably to Domani Jackson and Zion Branch. Those two could be great this year, but they just haven’t played much.

The other factor here is that USC’s defensive line has been dramatically remade in the transfer portal. People are waiting to see what the end product looks like. This leaves us with Bullock and Cobb, two proven commodities, plus Gentry as a guy who flourished in the first six weeks of the 2022 season before getting hurt.

Do Bullock and Cobb need to be the leaders most national observers think they will be for USC? Sure. Absolutely.

Yet, the real key is how those injured defensive backs and those transfer portal pieces on the defensive line support Bullock and Cobb this season for Alex Grinch and the Trojans.

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Early list of the top 2024 NFL draft prospects to watch at key positions

Wer’e taking an early look at the top 2024 NFL draft prospects for the Philadelphia Eagles to watch at key positions

The Eagles are just 22 days from the start of training camp, but it is never too early to look at the 2024 NFL draft.

Next spring will see guaranteed locks like Heisman Trophy Winner Caleb Williams (USC), Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State), Drake Maye (UNC), Joe Alt (Notre Dame), Brock Bowers (UGA), and Olumuviwa Fashanu (Penn State) all battle to round out the top five.

With teams around the league praying to be on the clock, here’s an early of the top 2024 prospects at critical positions.

2024 NFL draft prospect Room to Improve: USC safety Calen Bullock

Highlighting where USC safety Calen Bullock can improve his game in the 2023 college season as a 2024 NFL draft prospect

Next up in the summer scouting series is a player who has appeared in quite a few “too early” mock drafts in the 20-40 overall range.

After breaking down fellow Trojan Caleb Williams, I turned my attention to USC safety Calen Bullock. Viewing the same four games (UCLA, Tulane, Utah and Oregon State), I came away with a few areas where Bullock can help himself in the upcoming season in terms of NFL draft stock.

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Eagles land an All-American safety in Touchdown Wire’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft

The Philadelphia Eagles landed an All Pac-12 and All-American safety in Touchdown Wire’s latest 2024 NFL mock draft

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The Eagles are reloading on the defensive side of the football, and after landing three Georgia defenders in 2023, they could look towards the Pac-12 in 2024.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar released his latest 2024 NFL mock draft, and he has Philadelphia landing USC all-American safety Calen Bullock late in Round 1.

The 6-3 190-pounder is a rangy playmaker in coverage who would make for a dynamic pairing with Sydney Brown.

USC has not had a defensive back selected in the first round since Adoree Jackson in 2017 and a safety taken in the first round since Troy Polamalu in 2003.

Bullock started all 14 games on defense with 48 total tackles, a team-high five picks, and five pass breakups. He earned All-American honors from Pro Football Focus and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection.

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Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison named to Lott IMPACT Trophy Watch List

The Irish are lucky to have this kid.

[autotag]Benjamin Morrison[/autotag] made quite the impression as a Notre Dame cornerback in 2022. Now, he’s starting to bring in the accolades. Morrison has been named to the watch list for the 2023 Lott IMPACT Trophy. This award, which [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] won in 2012, is awarded to the defensive player who best demonstrates athletic excellence and exemplifies IMPACT, which is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

The Irish are scheduled to face several of Morrison’s fellow watch list candidates during the 2023 season. Two of them, defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, represent Ohio State. The Irish also will draw defensive back Calen Bullock and linebacker Mason Cobb of USC. Also upcoming are Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter and Duke defensive lineman Dewayne Carter.

In short, the Irish will be seeing a lot of defensive stars who also are high-character guys in 2023. Those who think offense is getting too much leeway in college football will not be disappointed. At least it seems that way on paper.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

USC safety Calen Bullock ejected for targeting in first half of Washington State game

Washington State hit a long pass against Bullock’s replacement right after the ejection. What’s worse: Bullock made a good, clean hit, driving through the shoulders.

This is the kind of thing which can turn a game and a season. It’s also a product of a bad rule which is poorly enforced and implemented.

USC safety Calen Bullock, who had been playing well this season and had been part of a USC secondary which had not allowed a long-ball pass over the top of the defense, was ejected for targeting in the first half of the Trojans’ game against Washington State on Saturday evening.

Bullock was ejected for a thunderous hit in the second quarter. The hit was relatively high, but he did not lead with the helmet or hit the helmet of the Washington State receiver. The hit certainly wasn’t cheap or malicious. It was part of the play, a natural reaction. You can see Bullock drive through with his shoulders and with his arms to the side. It certainly wasn’t spearing or headhunting, and he had a very small hitting zone to begin with. One is not sure what to tell Bullock how he should have hit the receiver on this play:

He made a good reaction, figured out where the play was going, and stopped the receiver with a solid stick.

His reward? An ejection:

Right after the ejection, his replacement, Anthony Beavers, gave up the long ball USC has successfully prevented this season. The Trojans fell behind 14-10. We’ll see just how costly this ejection turns out to be.

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