Sophomore linebacker Devin Bush saw a little bit of playing time last year as a freshman, but most of it came on special teams, and not defense.
Bush is expected to take a major leap forward in 2017, and is projected to be one of the better players on the Wolverines’ young defense.
He explained that last year’s experience really helped him moving forward.
“It was good to get my feet wet,” Bush explained. “Prepping for the bowl game [against Florida State] involved a lot of hard work, and was just a busy week for us — but that carried over to the spring and now to fall camp.”
Even though he’s now projected to be a full-time starter on defense, are special teams still in his future?
“Yeah, they’re still looking for me to play on all phases of special teams this year,” he revealed.
It’s obviously not easy for a player to take on that big of a workload, but Bush explained how much he’s improved in just a year’s time.
“Confidence [is where I’ve improved the most],” he said. “Last year I wasn’t in the groove that I’m in now. I feel more confident and comfortable in what I’m doing, mainly because I’ve had so much repetition.”
Despite the increased confidence, Bush understands that everything must be earned on the team. It seems to be a foregone conclusion that he will be a starter in 2017, but the sophomore explained he still has work to do to earn it.
“I’m still battling, and don’t want to say anything is set in stone,” he said. “There are things I have to get better at to secure a spot — like being more vocal, and getting what I need out of my guys.”
Defensive coordinator Don Brown is known for how nasty his defenses can be, and Bush described the mindset of his fellow Wolverine defenders.
“We want to get three and outs,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. We don’t want to be on the field for long. We want to put pressure on guys and make them break.”
Although he’s only played one season in Ann Arbor, Bush is already known for his hitting ability and some of the major blows he’s delivered, and he briefly touched on those.
“That’s defense,” he said. “If those big hits aren’t happening, then you must not have a good defense.”
Brown would undoubtedly be proud of that statement.
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