Varsity football linebacker Bumper Pool was defensively dominant against McKinney North High School two weeks ago, completing 19 tackles, three for a loss. Pool was recognized by the Dallas Morning News for his performance, receiving an award for Defensive Player of the Week. A week later, Pool has received attention again, but on a larger scale.

Bleacher Report is a national sports network that reports on all types of sports, from high school athletics to professional sports played around the world. Damon Sayles of Bleacher Report recently came across the local news of Pool’s recognition, and was amazed at not only his performance but also his unusual name.

“2018 inside linebacker Bumper Pool has a name that instantly is considered one of the best football names in college football recruiting,” Sayles wrote. “Bumper James Morris Pool, as his father indicated, is his full name. At 6’2″ and 215 pounds, Pool is an inside linebacker for Lovejoy who has let his game speak louder than his name this season.”

Pool was very surprised about the article in Bleacher Report

“I go on Bleacher Report all the time reading different stories,” Pool said. “So seeing my article with all of those articles was a really cool feeling.”

Pool’s unusual first name has become normal to students at Lovejoy High School, although classmates still find humor in seeing the confusion of substitute teachers’ faces as they go through class roll. However, Pool’s name and achievement on the football field has brought attention of not only Bleacher Report, but also D-1 college football programs such as Tulsa, Arkansas, Baylor, and SMU.

“It’s super early, so I’m still keeping everything open,” Pool told Bleacher Report. “The coaches love my size and say they can’t wait to see what I do in the future. They also love the name, of course.”

That future is certainly in the mind of Pool and his parents.

“His mom and I talk to him all the time about it: ‘Keep enjoying what you’re doing, and keep making good decisions,’” Jeff Pool told Bleacher Report. “A lot of kids his age start looking ahead too early. They want to live in the now instead of looking to their futures. There’s no doubt that if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’ll have every opportunity he wants.”

Bumper Pool has another chance to do what he does best Friday, Oct. 23, as the varsity squad faces district rivals Prosper at home.