National Football Foundation

A third-generation Spartan, Max Bullough represents the heart and soul of Michigan State’s defense, which currently ranks No. 1 in the nation. The two-year team captain becomes the school’s sixth NFF National Scholar-Athlete.

A 2012 Second Team Academic All-American, Bullough has twice earned Academic All-District 5 and Academic All-Big Ten honors. The Traverse City, Mich., native was presented with the scholar-athlete award at the 2012 Spartan Academic Excellence Gala for having the highest GPA on the team for players who have attained at least junior academic status.

A semifinalist for the Butkus Award in 2012, Bullough has twice been named an All-Big Ten performer, earning first team honors as a junior and second team laurels as a sophomore. The Spartans’ leading tackler the last two seasons, he ranked eighth in the Big Ten in tackles per game (8.5) and ninth in tackles for loss (12.5) in 2012. After being named an Honorable Mention All-American by Pro Football Weekly in 2012, Bullough entered his senior season with 223 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in his career. This season he has 47 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss for the top defense in the nation, and he earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors after his strong performance against Purdue.

Following in the footsteps of his grandfather Hank, a guard from 1952-54, and his father Shane, a linebacker from 1983-86, Bullough appeared destined to play football at Michigan State. He also has two uncles who played for the Spartans, and his younger brother Riley is currently a red-shirt freshman on the team. He won the 2012 Biggie Munn Award as the team’s most inspirational player, and he volunteers for the Varsity S Club golf outing. Bullough was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent after the 2014 NFL Draft and appeared in one game in 2014. 

Bullough is currently an inside linebackers graduate assistant at the University of Alabama.