Considering legacy vs. new path

BALTIMORE -- Juggling dozens of offers can be very stressful on the top recruits in the country. That stress can be intensified for some, who have the option of continuing a legacy at a specific school. Four-star Nigel Warrior of Suwanee (Ga.) Peachtree Ridge and four-star linebacker Devin Bush of Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Flanagan have to deal with that when it comes time to make a final decision.

Warrior grew up around Tennessee football, after his father, Dale Carter, was an All-American in Knoxville in the early 1990's. Carter went on to become the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1992 and play in four Pro Bowls during his career with Kansas City, Denver, Minnesota, New Orleans and Baltimore.

With this type of legacy, Warrior realizes that there has always been some level of expectation that he will also end up at Tennessee.

"Everyone thinks I'm going to Tennessee," said Warrior. "It'll just come down to the moment when I sit down with my family and just think what school to choose. Wherever I can go play football and get a great education, that's where I'll decide where to go."

Warrior acknowledged that his father has been a very important part of his recruiting process.

"He'll just let me choose what I like best," he said. "He's not going to make me go anywhere. He helps me with the process. He doesn't push me to go to Tennessee and he doesn't push me to go to any other school. We just talk about it and my decision is my decision."

Warrior has not taken any recent visits and does not have any planned at this time, but he does hope to check out Ohio State and LSU this summer. He hopes to trim his list to 10 schools by the start of the season and then five by December. The plan is to take all five of his official visits and then make a final decision on National Signing Day.

At Florida State, the elder Devin Bush was part of the Seminole secondary from 1992 to 1994. He was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Falcons in 1995 and also played with the St. Louis Rams and Cleveland Browns during his eight-year NFL career. With a long history of legacies making their own mark at Florida State, the younger Bush knew that he would feel a special bond with the Seminoles.

"It's actually funny," Bush said. "I just laugh at it instead of taking it the wrong way. Everyone expects me to follow my father's footsteps, who is a role model to me. But he's his own person and I'm my own person. I'm just going to take it through myself and make the best decision for me."

Bush's father has always been around to give his son sound advice.

"He's been telling me since I was a child that, 'I'm not pushing you toward anything and you have to do what you want,'" Bush said. "I have to do what is right for me. He's going to tell me all of the small things and what to look out for. He knows it's going to be hard and he's been there before and knows what to look for."

Bush will remain busy in the coming weeks with stops at Michigan and Florida State. He then hopes to make it to Auburn and Alabama during the summer. A final decision likely will not happen until the Under Armour All-American Game, and may be delayed until later in January.