The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 33 "We laugh and joke all the time, play around. When we go out on the field, we're serious, but we also have a good time and play around a little bit. "Me being older, seeing a few things and learning from my years being here, I see things he doesn't see. I learn from him as well, like rushing the quarterback. He's re- ally great at that. He's really fast and great overall." "I expected Bush to be a phenom- enal player this year," added fifth- year senior defensive tackle Maurice Hurst Jr. "He's just so fast and so ath- letic. He plays with a lot of instinct. He's just a great player overall." Gary assured Bush fit well with the wave of younger performers who knew they had to step up for Michi- gan to maintain last year 's level of competitiveness. "Going into winter and summer workouts, he already knew what needed to be done," Gary said. "I talked to him every day. That's my brother. I know his expectations, and he knows mine. I always hold him to that standard, and he holds me to that standard. "I already know the player he is from practicing with him, living with him, and you have yet to see the best of him." Bush loves his situation. He came to Michigan the same year as uber- aggressive defensive coordinator Don Brown, which makes for a per- fect fit. Bush also finds himself on the biggest football stage there is, play- ing a game he's begged to pursue since before kindergarten. FUTURE'S SO BRIGHT … Bush Sr. puts his defensive analyst cap on just long enough to evaluate the early returns on his son. "What he's done is showcase his ability to execute a game plan," Bush Sr. said. "He uses his strength and knowledge of what the coaches are asking him to do. He's making plays he's asked to make on a defense that's energized with passion. "He goes out there with a bunch of confidence and guys who are playing for the same goal, seeing it happen and building on that. That's what I've seen him do." The father describes his son as re- spectful, humble and a great team- mate. "Off the field, you wouldn't even know he's in the same room with you," Michigan's defensive analyst observed. On the field, they know. In Bush Sr.'s office, he sits back and smiles. "My son and I are on the same team again," he mused. "How could you ever give enough thanks to have that opportunity? I'm his biggest fan. "There's nothing like seeing your kid being successful." ❏ Michigan's Five Fastest Linebackers Since 1992 Someone with the foot speed of Michigan sophomore line- backer Devin Bush Jr. always engenders arguments. How does he rank among the fleetest feet to back a U-M line? There's never a true answer, unless one could line up Bush against other contenders in their prime and let them sprint it out. Any number of Wolverines have seen all of Michigan's lineback- ers over the past quarter century, though. Marcus Ray, a Big Ten Network college football analyst, radio talk-show host, and fre- quent contributor to The Wolverine and TheWolverine.com, is one of them. Here's how he ranks the five fastest linebackers in that span, and what he had to say about the movers behind Michigan's front wall on the defensive side of the ball: 1. Ian Gold (1996-99) — "He was a tenacious, downhill, com- plete football player. Gold was the fastest man on the '97 team." 2. Devin Bush Jr. (2016-present) — "He's a violent Tasmanian devil, who could probably play safety." 3. Dhani Jones (1996-99) — "He was a very intelligent, crafty, versatile football player." 4. Larry Foote (1998-2001) — "Larry was a very mean, intel- ligent, disruptive linebacker, who played on the other side of the line of scrimmage." 5. Shawn Crable (2003-07) — "He was a freakish athlete, who could have played wide receiver. He was very strong and versatile." Bush hails from the southernmost outpost of all the fast five listed by Ray. Gold came from Ann Arbor, Foote from Detroit, and Crable ventured north out of Ohio to cast his fortunes with the Wolverines. Although Jones was born in San Diego, he played his high school ball in Potomac, Md. Bush joined the northern migration out of the football hotbed of Florida. The Wolverines feature 10 Floridians on the present roster, including three from Flanagan High in Pembroke Pines: Bush, sophomore safety Josh Metellus and sophomore linebacker Devin Gil. — John Borton Shawn Crable racked up 28.5 tackles for loss — which ranked first in the Big Ten and second nationally — during his senior campaign at Michigan in 2007. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN