Bullough quickly decided to carry on the family legacy, verbally committing to MSU during his sophomore year of high school, becoming the first commitment in the class of 2010.

“I was recruited really early and MSU was my first offer,” Bullough said. “Then I started to get a lot of other offers. But when I sat down and really thought about it, I knew there was no where else I wanted to go.”

Although Max’s father, Shane, obviously is pleased to see his son play at his alma matter, he didn’t try to influence Max’s decision during the recruiting process.

“We thought it might be a better idea for him to wait a little while before committing to MSU, but he’d always dreamt of playing in the Green and White,” Shane Bullough said. “It’s certainly nice to see him carry on the Bullough family tradition.”

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound linebacker is fresh off his second straight Division 7 state championship, as his high school, Traverse City St. Francis, clobbered Hudson, 42-8 in the state final game last weekend.

Bullough anchored the Gladiators defense at middle linebacker, and boasted his best numbers as a senior, recording a team-high 137 tackles, en route to being named The Associated Press Division 7-8 Player of the Year.

Bullough also played fullback and tight end, rushing for 464 yards and catching seven touchdowns. The passes all came from his younger brother, Riley, the team’s starting quarterback.

“He’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime kids through high school,” St. Francis head coach Greg Vaughan said of Max. “Sometimes it’s hard for great players to be leaders when they are playing with players who are of lesser talent or not as interested in football as he is. But he has been a very strong leader for us.”

Bullough balances his on-field tenacity with hard work in the classroom, boasting a 3.96 grade-point average.

“Whenever I’m going to do something, I’m going to do my absolute best,” Bullough said. “My family has always said to take care of school first, so that’s just what I do.”

Vaughan said Bullough’s smarts on the football field are what separate him from other players.

“You put his athletic ability and his natural intelligence together on the football field and you have a great player,” Vaughan said. “He’s never in a bad position, and I think his school smarts rub off onto the field.”

Bullough will graduate from St. Francis in January and will enroll at MSU during the spring semester to participate in spring football practices.

“I want to get to MSU as soon as possible,” Bullough said. “It will help to get used to the academic schedule, and I’m looking forward to spring practices.”

Bullough isn’t the only one anxious to see what kind of impact he can have on the MSU football program.

“He’s a man. I think there’s no other way to put it,” Rivals.com national recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree said. “Not only is he one of the best inside linebackers in the country, but he flies around, he makes a lot of big hits and he just dominates out there. You want to say he’s one of those prototypical Big Ten linebackers, with his size and just his hard knocks, but he’s not because he’s so athletic. Just wait until you see him in person.”