Hello: Devin Bush Jr.
[Greg Oyster/247Sports]
Michigan survived a late push from Florida State to land one of their top overall targets in the class, four-star Hollywood (FL) Flanagan ILB Devin Bush Jr., who announced his commitment to the Wolverines in a ceremony this afternoon. Bush, the son of former FSU and NFL safety and current Flanagan head coach Devin Bush, joins teammates Devin Gil and Josh Metellus in the 2016 class, which now sits at 22 commits.
Bush is the second linebacker in the class, along with three-star Dytarious Johnson, and as an early enrollee he'll have every opportunity to make an instant impact at Michigan's thinnest position group.
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN | 247 | 247 Comp |
3*, #13 ILB |
4*, #5 ILB, #184 Ovr |
4*, 82, #12 OLB, #180 Ovr |
3*, 88, #19 ILB, #456 Ovr |
4*, #11 ILB, #241 Ovr |
As you can see, there's a major split in Bush's rankings; Rivals and ESPN have him as solid four-star while Scout and 247 place him in high three-star territory. Bush's size—listed at 5'11", ~225 pounds everywhere but Scout (6'0", 215)—is the likely cause of the difference in opinion; those listings are apparently a little generous on length, as Bush measured in at 5'9", 227 at The Opening.
[Hit THE JUMP for the informative stuff.]
SCOUTING
Scout's free evaluation doesn't sound like that of a three-star prospect:
Plays fast to the ball. Very instinctive player who plays one step faster than many opponents. Has very good game speed. Great inside the box going downhill. Works some on the edge as a blitzer as well and he is very effective. When he hits, there is pop with it. A lot of opponents go backwards. Best in attack mode. Can move sideline to sideline. Plays with aggression and an ideal in the box. Not elite size or length, but big enough.
Strengths
- Hitting Ability
- Instincts
- Strength
Areas to Improve
- Pass Coverage Skills
- Size
While Scout notes pass coverage as an area for improvement, Bush stood out in that regard on the camp circuit last summer, especially at the Rivals Five-Star Challenge, where he earned #3 defensive performer status after a pair of picks in 7-on-7 action:
Bush, who came up with two interceptions, is a very smart linebacker that is much faster in the open field than the tight ends and running backs originally thought. One interception was in the flat near the sideline and one was downfield when covering a wheel route. Bush knows when to bump the running backs and tight ends, and knows when to jump so he can knock down the pass.
ESPN has high praise for his run defense, athleticism, and instincts, and they also like his play on passing downs ($):
We like the blitzing facet of his game on passing downs and ability to pressure and get after quarterbacks. Would like to see him time his jump more consistently but he will close fast and aggressively on evading quarterbacks and can be disruptive. Quick to get to his zone drop in coverage and will blanket his underneath area with strong plant and drive burst.
Bush is an explosive linebacker prospect who would be higher up our board with a bit more length. We feel he has better short-range burst and overall tools that project best inside than out at the college level and with that projection he will need to continue adding size and strength before making an impact as an every-down linebacker.
Bush is a lock to play inside linebacker at Michigan, which will play to his strengths.
Rivals' Rob Cassidy caught Bush in live game action last month and came away without much worry about his size ($):
Flanagan linebacker Devin Bush lacks elite height but continues to show why that isn't much of a concern. Bush swarmed around the ball on Friday and made a number of plays to help hold a high-powered St. Thomas offense in check for most of the night. Bush is sound fundamentally and plays with little regard for his own body. His closing speed is what makes him a high-level prospect, but he's not half bad in coverage, either.
The scouting reports are quite consistent: Bush is an athletic, instinctive run-stuffer who plays with aggression and can hold up in coverage; he is also short. While that latter bit has caused concern among a couple of the recruiting sites, it certainly hasn't prevented top programs from taking a hard run at him, as evidenced by...
OFFERS
Bush holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Florida State, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisville, LSU, Miami (YTM), Mississippi State, NC State, Nebraska, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oregon, Oregon State, Pitt, Rutgers, South Carolina, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, among several others.
HIGH SCHOOL
Flanagan, which now has seven FBS commits in this class alone, captured their first football state title this year after winning Florida's 8A classification. Michigan has already offered two Flanagan prospects in the 2017 class, four-star CB Stanford Samuels and three-star WR Clevan Thomas.
STATS
A couple sites have incomplete stats but I couldn't dig up anything definitive. Rivals says he had 113 tackles, three picks, and two sacks as a sophomore; 247 lists consecutive 67-tackle seasons for his last two years but that seems low—also, Bush's senior season just wrapped up last week.
FAKE 40 TIME
Bush's SPARQ-verified combine numbers from The Opening:
LB Devin Bush Jr., 5-9, 227, 4.65 40-yard dash, 4.68 shuttle, 40-foot PB throw, 30.8-inch vert 97.02 SPARQ
He's got some wheels for a linebacker.
VIDEO
Mid-season junior highlights:
Freshman highlights and single-game reels can be found on his Hudl page.
PREDICTION BASED ON FLIMSY EVIDENCE
The competition is wide open at inside linebacker for 2016; assuming Ben Gedeon locks down a spot, Bush should be right in the mix to play next to him. His competition will be Noah Furbush, Mike McCray (if healthy), Jared Wanger, and perhaps a fellow freshman if Michigan brings another ILB on board—it'd be a surprise if Dytarious Johnson competed for time right away. Bush getting on campus early will be a big help, since he'll need to add some muscle before he's viable at the Big Ten level.
Whether or not Bush locks down a starting job, he should be part of the linebacker rotation as a freshman, and when Gedeon departs after next season it'd be very surprising if he didn't step into a starting role.
UPSHOT FOR THE REST OF THE CLASS
Bush fills the most glaring hole in the class as an inside linebacker capable of competing for time right away. Michigan is now at 22 commits in a class that will reach 27; the expectation is we'll see status changes with perhaps a couple more current commits as the coaches try to fit the top remaining targets into those spots. One may drop tomorrow when top-ranked running back Kareem Walker chooses between Michigan and FSU.
Other top targets include DT Rashan Gary, TE Isaac Nauta, CB David Long, CB LaVert Hill, OT Jean Delance, OG Terrance Davis, WR Donnie Corley, WR Dylan Crawford, ATH Jordan Fuller, WDE Levi Onwuzirike, ILB Dontavious Jackson, and ILB Jonathan Jones. Tight ends Jacob Mathis and Chase Allen are both distinct possibilities to end up in the class should Nauta, as expected, land with Georgia.
Here's the class as it currently stands:
December 16th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
If I have to distinguish between Dytarious Johnson and Dontavious Jackson regularly.
December 17th, 2015 at 1:06 AM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
Who's got it better than us??????
December 16th, 2015 at 1:29 PM ^
Not a single person with whom I am familiaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!!!!
December 16th, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^
Someone suggested his father should follow to coach at Michigan. I think we would be better off if he remained in Florida and helped cement the pipeline to Michigan.
I thought I read somewhere that Bush became familiar with the Michigan coaches because of the summer swarm tour. Was that the case? If so, it seems that giving players (and local high school coaches) access and exposure to our coaches is paying dividends already.
December 16th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
Harbaugh had a camp that Bush Sr. helped organize or was at his high school. Those camps were pure genius.
Anyway, Bush Sr. would want to come to Michigan because it's a significant pay raise (which is why Partridge came).
December 16th, 2015 at 1:59 PM ^
Last year the camps were a novelty and a bit of a national oddity.
Can you imagine the watiing line for those camps this year?
Shit, I want to go to one.
December 16th, 2015 at 7:29 PM ^
be able to compete without a shirt. You in?
December 16th, 2015 at 1:14 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 1:20 PM ^
I don't care how tall you are when you run a 4.65 as a MLB. He is off the charts athletic.
December 16th, 2015 at 1:30 PM ^
I think that's his uncle. On his mom's side.
That makes me think that I want Devin Bush's nickname to be Dubya.
December 16th, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^
So much fuck yes!!
December 16th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
"Plays fast to the ball...very instinctive...great inside the box...a lot of opponents go backwards...can move sideline to sideline...not elite size."
That all sounds like Ian Gold, who was a machine. The Vandy and (maybe?) ND offers suggest he isn't much of an academic risk either.
December 16th, 2015 at 2:01 PM ^
+1 Insightful.
Ian Gold had a couple of game-saving shoestring tackles in our NC year that he was able to do because of his great speed and angles. Total difference-maker.
December 16th, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
On film he reminds me of Ian Gold. Welcome Devin!
December 16th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
Welcome aboard Devin.
December 16th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^
I've always wanted to say this.
Fo'Shizzle.
December 16th, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 1:45 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 2:21 PM ^
He's not only been at the NFL level, but he has thrived there, so he knows exactly what it takes to succeed there. And most kids that go to D1 schools have aspirations of playing on Sundays.
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December 16th, 2015 at 1:49 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 1:50 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 1:51 PM ^
Kinda what I see
December 16th, 2015 at 9:30 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 1:57 PM ^
Erick Anderson, Steve Morrison and Jarret Irons weren't the biggest guys, but they were still All-Americans.
December 16th, 2015 at 9:58 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 2:11 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
Way to GoBlue!
December 16th, 2015 at 2:48 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 3:17 PM ^
Watching his film I'm damn impressed.
First thing that came to my mind is "This dude is like a REALLY FAST Desmond Morgan".
I think I'd like a really fast Des Morgan on our team. I'd like that just fine.
December 16th, 2015 at 4:11 PM ^
rather violent fellow. Pity the fool who runs his way.
December 16th, 2015 at 4:27 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 9:56 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 4:35 PM ^
I think it is crazy that there is only one recruit from the State of Michigan. I expect a national recruiting class from Harbaugh. However, I would also expect at least a handful of recruits from Michigan (and Ohio).
December 16th, 2015 at 5:27 PM ^
As for Michigan, it seems to be a combination of bad luck, a down year, and recent failures on the field by M. MSU got their guys, Falcon got hurt, Reese not high enough on our board to secure an EE, missing on Kareem and then being full when he re-opened, and Hayes not being a target (M decision) for whatever reason when he reopened.
We are seeing a change in Michigan recruiting already for 2017 with the "Pipeline nine" and I expect we will see things pickup by 2018 in Ohio - OSU already has a number of the top 2017 Ohio kids "committed".
December 16th, 2015 at 6:11 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 9:52 PM ^
I mean, it would be nice to pick up the best recruits from Michigan... provided they are better players than the ones we are bringing in from outside the state.
i want us to start winning and I honestly don't much care where they get the kids from. I wouldn't care if MSU got every last kid from Michigan from now on provided we beat them 10 straight years.
December 16th, 2015 at 4:53 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 5:42 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 5:50 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 5:51 PM ^
December 16th, 2015 at 6:25 PM ^
FUCK YEA!!!
December 16th, 2015 at 8:50 PM ^
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December 16th, 2015 at 6:43 PM ^
now lets get Kareem Walker tomorrow and make it even more so! Go blue! Get Walker, too!
December 16th, 2015 at 10:13 PM ^
Cowboy's coach Barry Switzer replying to someone's concern about his lack of height. - We didn't get him to screw in light bulbs.
December 17th, 2015 at 12:33 AM ^
even for a stormtrooper.
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