ANN ARBOR — Devin Bush, Jr., is already one of the top leaders on the Michigan football team.
That lofty designation comes from his on-field play and his vocal presence off of it. A recent display of team-first thinking earned Bush even more respect from his teammates.
“Let me just say this, OK? Devin Bush. Jr., special guy. That’s all I’m going to say,” Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown said. “There’s a private story. But this guy stayed with his team and he could’ve easily checked out for three or four days, and everybody would’ve understood. And he didn’t. I think we’re talking about a guy whose character is completely off the charts.”
Bush didn’t say exactly what happened, only that it was a family matter that would have involved him traveling to Florida and missing multiple practices. The junior linebacker discussed it with his dad, Devin Bush, Sr., who’s a defensive analyst, and opted to stay in Ann Arbor.
VIDEO: Michigan linebacker Devin Bush Jr.
“He just said, ‘Hey, look, you’re a man and you’ve got to make decisions like this,’” Bush Jr. said “‘So make a decision and follow your heart.’”
“I feel like I’m needed here,” Bush, Jr., added. “My guys need me, and I need to be there for them and for the younger guys as well because they’re going to need my help throughout this whole year. So I just felt like it was a big decision for me to stay here, and I feel like I made the right decision.”
Bush earned All-America honors last season after recording a team-high 100 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, and eight pass breakups.
“He’s just a different kind of guy,” Brown said. “It impresses me. And sometimes, everybody’s got an opinion on certain things when it comes to wins and losses. But this is a guy that gives you everything he’s got, gives it to his teammates, and I think above and beyond.”
Contact Kyle Rowland at krowland@theblade.com, 419-724-6110 or on Twitter @KyleRowland.
First Published March 30, 2018, 11:00 a.m.
