It’s another year for Indiana Wrestling.
But this is not just any other year for the competitors that wear the cream and crimson. This is a prove it season.
2024 is a year where just hanging with the best in the sport simply won’t cut it anymore. It’s time to turn some of those losses into program defining wins. And if there was ever a time to do it for Indiana Head Coach Angel Escobedo, it’s this year. The wrestlers in his first recruiting class are now seniors with one last chance to achieve their collegiate goals and dreams. One such wrestler initially chose the other program he was recruited to after high school…but he’d be the first to tell you that the opportunity to come back to Indiana was a blessing.
“It’s a second chance for me,” senior heavyweight Jacob Bullock said. “They welcomed me with open arms the second time.”
Bullock began his college career at Old Dominion during the 2019-2020 season. But when the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the country, the Monarchs wrestling program didn’t survive. Bullock then entered the transfer portal, and he had a decision to make. Fortunately for him, the open doors of the Indiana Wrestling room never closed, and he ended up where he supposed to be all along.
“In my recruiting process always no matter where the kid picks…I don’t take it personal because I know they’re trying to do what’s in the best interest of themselves,” Indiana wrestling head coach Angel Escobedo said. “That relationship we had built was already there… and so immediately we just jumped on him because I knew how great he could be.”
Jacob Bullock talks journey to Indiana, the lessons wrestling has taught him, and what fulfillment looks like at the end of the season.
Over the course of three seasons, Bullock drastically improved. The Cahokia, Illinois native went from a 1-3 record in his first year to becoming two-time starter at heavyweight and a 2023 NCAA Qualifier. He credits that growth to changing the little things and being more intentional.
“Eating the right things, making sure I’m getting a good amount of sleep, being more intentional whenever I train not just coming in here just sparring and just doing whatever,” Bullock said. “Making sure I have a purpose for everything that I’m doing.”
Then came the summer before the 2023-2024 season. Escobedo and the coaching staff proposed an idea: redshirt this year, develop your skills, and become even better for your final season. Bullock, once again, had to make a decision. He wasn’t receptive to the idea at first. But after weighing the options, he chose to trust the process, and focused on forging himself into the best wrestler possible. A decision that paid massive dividends.
“It actually worked out better because if I were to do it my freshman year I wasn’t as mature so maybe I wouldn’t have got as much out of it,” Bullock said. “From a technical standpoint I was really able to slow wrestling down and see it from a different lens.”
But Escobedo believes Bullock’s patience will have a lasting impact on the entire program.
“What I’m seeing is JB believes and trusts in the process that we have here, ” Escobedo said. “He’s seen the growth that he’s had and now he’s able to translate it to the freshman and say ‘buy in quicker…they know what they’re doing’.”
Angel Escobedo talks Bullock’s growth over the years, his impact on the underclassmen, and the legacy he will leave behind for Indiana Wrestling.
One freshman who is already benefitting from Bullock’s endurance is his wrestling partner, Nick Pavlechko. The State College, Pennsylvania native has only worked with Bullock for a short time, but it’s been incredibly valuable.
“It’s cool to learn a lot because he’s obviously a little older, he’s been in the game for awhile so it’s good to get that experience,” Pavlechko said. “Transition from high school to college there’s a lot of differences, there’s not huge differences but it’s the little things. Helping me with the little things, it’s definitely big.”
Jacob Bullock may or may not accomplish all of his goals on the mat this season. But at the end of his career, he can look back on all the ways he’s grown into a better wrestler and a better man, and his impact on the Indiana Wrestling program and be satisfied. He will leave behind a legacy of making those around him even greater than himself. The mark of a true champion.
We always say leave this program better than what you found it and that’s exactly what JB is doing,” Escobedo said.
Nick Pavlechko talks being wrestling partners with Bullock, excitement for being an Indiana Hoosier, and Bullock’s impact on him.
