Phoenix is first stop on Bulaga's pro journey
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Atop Bryan Bulaga's to-do list Thursday night was to go grocery shopping with his new neighbor.
That neighbor just happens to be Oklahoma all-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who is expected to be one of the top five picks in April's NFL draft.
Bulaga's new home is an apartment complex in Phoenix where he, McCoy and another new neighbor, standout Oklahoma tight end Jermaine Gresham, will spend the next six weeks working out in preparation for their very bright futures.
Yet even before he moved in Thursday, Bulaga proved he was in an elite neighborhood when the Marian Central graduate announced Wednesday night via the University of Iowa's web site that he was leaving school after his junior season to enter the NFL draft.
"I'm excited about my dream coming true and having the opportunity to play at the next level," Bulaga told the Northwest Herald from his new apartment Thursday night. "When the opportunity knocks, you have to answer it. The right thing for me to do was answer."
Bulaga earned the Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year award this season at age 20 and was a second-team all-American.
Thanks to input from his parents, Crystal Lake residents Kathi and Joe Bulaga, along with Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and Oakland Raiders offensive tackle and former Iowa star Robert Gallery, Bulaga decided going pro was his best option.
"I don't know how to explain it, other than to say it was just my time," Bulaga said. "It was just right."
Plenty of NFL people agreed, said Bulaga's parents, who spent the month of December interviewing prospective agents and financial advisers and combing the Internet for information about the NFL draft process.
"We went into this well-armed with a lot of information," Joe Bulaga said. "We said, 'Let's not go into this starstruck.' "
What the Bulagas learned, and related on a nightly basis to their son, was that an overwhelming amount of feedback about Bryan Bulaga's draft status involved him being a first-round pick.
"It was very consistent," Kathi Bulaga said.
After Bulaga helped Iowa win Tuesday night's Orange Bowl in Miami, he told Ferentz in the early morning hours Wednesday after the game that he was leaving for the NFL.
"It was tough to tell him," Bulaga said. "He gave me an opportunity as a freshman, and I had to tell him that I wasn't going to give him that fourth year."
Several hours later while in Miami, Bulaga chose the Creative Artists Agency's Football Division, which is headed by elite NFL agents Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, to represent him. The firm also represents Peyton and Eli Manning, and more importantly to Bulaga, NFL offensive lineman such as Steve Hutchinson of Minnesota and Jake Long of Miami.
Bulaga will work out at Athletes Performance Institute in Phoenix in preparation for next month's NFL combine in Indianapolis, Iowa's annual pro day workout in late March, and the draft, which is scheduled for April 22.
"Iowa City is an exciting town with a great nightlife," Bulaga said. "It was tough to leave. But it's about doing what's best for me. I had to be distraction free. And down here, I'm distraction free."
Three months ago, playing in the NFL was far from Bulaga's mind. After a thyroid condition landed him in an Iowa City hospital and caused him to miss three games in September, just getting back on the practice field was in question.
"When it happened, there was a time that I was thinking, 'What if I can't come back and play at the level I was at?' " Bulaga said. "They couldn't tell me what was wrong with me. It was hard having something that means so much -- like football does to me -- almost taken away. It opened my eyes."
The health scare proved to be a major deciding factor in Bulaga's decision.
"For 24 to 36 hours, they were trying to rule out a cardiac event," Joe Bulaga said. "I think that put the thought in his mind that football could be taken away very fast."
Until April, Bryan Bulaga said he plans to prove to NFL teams that he belongs on the next level.
"You're not going to get a guy who works harder or studies more tape," he said. "I'm going to bust my butt for a team, no matter the circumstances."
BULAGA TIMELINE
A look at key events in Bryan Bulaga's week and important events in the near future:
Tuesday night: Helped Iowa beat Georgia Tech, 24-14, in the Orange Bowl in Miami. Was part of an Iowa front that held Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan, the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, to three tackles and no sacks.
Wednesday, early morning hours: Informed Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz after the Orange Bowl that he was leaving for the NFL.
Wednesday: Hired Creative Artists Agency's Football Division to represent him. CAA Football's co-heads are Tom Condon, a former NFL offensive lineman, and Ben Dogra.
Wednesday: Through a news release on the Iowa athletics web site, announced he was going pro.
Thursday: Moved into new apartment in Phoenix, where he will train at Athletes' Performance Institute in advance of the NFL combine and Iowa's pro day workout.
Late March: Will work out for NFL scouts, coaches, and general managers in Iowa City when the school's football program hosts its annual pro day.
April 22: First round of the NFL draft, in which Bulaga is predicted to be chosen, airs on prime-time TV for the first time in league history.
Barry Bottino writes a weekly column and a blog about local college athletes for the Northwest Herald. Write to him at BarryOnCampus@hotmail.com and check out his On Campus column every Saturday in the Northwest Herald sports section.
