Bush selects Michigan

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- Devin Bush's commitment to Michigan was announced at a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon. Most assumed the Wolverines were the favorites throughout. Some even speculated that Bush, a Rivals250 linebacker, had been committed to Michigan for months.

None of that matters now, though.

As Bush announced his decision from a table in the Flanagan High School gymnasium, all that speculation met a swift demise. As the linebacker announced, his mother unzipped her sweatshirt to reveal a blue-and-gold Michigan shirt, Bush watched and smiled then spoke openly about his decision to choose the Big Ten-based Wolverines over in-state power Florida State and other southern-based programs.

"It was just the atmosphere of being up there at Michigan," Bush said following his announcement. "There are 110,000 fans at each game. It's the number one public school academically. The coaching staff is all from the league, so I feel like they can develop me into the player I want to be."

According to Bush, he alerted the Michigan staff on Tuesday night. His decision was met with the usual excitement that surrounds such a announcement. The message from his future coaching staff was the standard one. This commitment, though big for the Wolverine program, was not particularly unique.

"I made the decision a week before the state game, but I talked to my coaches and finalized things before I was totally sure," Bush said.

An early enrollee, Bush says he will arrive on campus in time for Michigan spring practice, which gets under way during the coming semester.

Bush was the anchor of an impressive Flanagan defense that led the program to a Florida state championship. Bush and his teammates finished off their title run with a 26-7 victory over Osceola is the title game on Dec. 12.