The team colours will be different and he’ll be playing in front of about 40,000 more fans, but Dontae Bull will still be a Bulldog the next time he straps on his football helmet.
The nearly 6’7”, 305-pound offensive lineman who has terrorized opposing teams as a member of Belmont secondary’s football team over the past four years will be taking his talents to Fresno State, a Division 1 NCAA program in the Mountain West Conference that also happens to sport the ‘Bulldogs’ nickname.
Combine that with the 17 year old’s surname and you’ve got a pretty nice fit.
In reality, it was a recent campus visit that impressed both Bull and his mother, Angela, and led the Langford native to pick Fresno State over other potential offers.
“It felt like home. I really liked it there and my mom fell in love with it too. The coaches are nice and they have three Canadian coaches on their staff, so they know about kids from up here,” he says.
Bull, who says he is still growing, didn’t exactly shoot up to his current stature overnight, although he admits, “I’ve always been about a head taller than everyone else.”
That size first caught the eye of Sunny Cobb, who met Bull as a seven year old and immediately asked him if he wanted to play football.
“He was a little soft when I first met him, but that was my job,” says Cobb, who went on to coach Bull in the Greater Victoria Minor Football Association for several seasons.
Cobb adds it took some time before the friendly giant could develop a mean streak on the field. “Once he figured the game out he was a beast … He was one of my best players for a lot of years.”
Bull has always had impressive speed and athleticism for his size and Cobb employed him as a tight end rather than his current position on the line.
“I got the ball in his hands as much as I (could) … he’s hard to bring down and he’s got very quick feet for a big guy … I used him all over the field.”
Cobb, who coached him until high school, says he came to the realization that Bull could take his talent pretty far several years ago. “Look at him now,” he says, noting that Bull has always been willing to put in the work off the field as well.
For his part, Bull credits Cobb with giving him his start in football and is quick to point out the coaching he has received at Belmont, under head coach Alexis Sanschagrin and staff, has been a factor in getting him to where he is today.
Bull, who his mom describes as “goofy” and “outgoing,” says he spends most of his free time in the weight room or playing basketball – he’s also a key member of the Belmont basketball team.
His ultimate ambition is to make the NFL, but for now he’ll look to make his mark at a school that’s produced numerous professional players – including longtime former New England Patriots guard and seven-time Pro Bowler Logan Mankins – and will have games against the Alabama Crimson Tide and Washington Huskies in 2017.
“My goal is to come in and mesh right away, pick up the offence as fast as possible and hopefully get some field time this year,” Bull says.
joel.tansey@goldstreamgazette.com