The improbable story of former Nebraska walk-on John Bullock continued on Monday, as Bullock was one of 53 players to make the season-opening roster for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bullock, who signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in May, enjoyed a strong training camp and preseason, making splash plays on both defense and special teams to earn the Bucs' fourth linebacker spot.
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule said Tuesday that he spoke with Bullock after he made the Bucs roster, and recalled when Bullock nearly retired from football when Rhule and his staff came to Lincoln.
"I told him, you've come so far, I wouldn't want you to have regrets," Rhule said. "We all knew what he could be."
Bullock moved from safety to linebacker, and the move culminated in a strong 2024 season. As a senior in 2024, he set career highs with 70 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, five pass breakups and one interception.
Rhule said he uses Bullock as an example of what players can be in the program if they work hard and stay the course.
"The process is undefeated for people who won't be defeated — to me, that's John Bullock," Rhule said. "He kept pulling himself up. Nothing was given to him."
Bullock joins a Tampa Bay linebacker group led by former Husker Lavonte David. One-time Husker linebacker commit Deion Jones is also in the group, along with Bullock and SirVocea Dennis.
Bullock told [buccaneers.com](http://buccaneers.com/) on Tuesday that he was thrilled to learn he was sticking with Tampa Bay as the NFL season gets underway in September.
"I am truly honored and I am going to make the most of it," [Bullock said](https://www.buccaneers.com/news/udfa-john-bullocks-belief-in-himself-spurs-journey-bucs-53-2025). "Special teams-wise, I knew that came into play and I knew that was how I was going to find my niche and find my role and I made sure to kind of tune into that every single play. I love to play the game and any way I can help this team win, I am going to try to do that to scratch and claw and do whatever to find my way."