Heels, Tigers lead for Bush

An athletic defensive end from North Carolina is interested in six schools, and all are members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. He has an offer, and two schools stand alone atop his list.

Jeff Bush is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defensive end from Fayetteville (N.C.) Jack Britt and runs the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds.

"My favorites right now are Clemson and North Carolina," said Bush. "Clemson is my only offer. UNC is really close to me. They aren’t that great right now, but they are on the rise. I have also been to several of their games, and I know the program fairly well. If Wake Forest were to offer me a scholarship they would go up there to the top of my list with those two. I've been getting stuff from them for a while. In addition to those three I like NC State, Maryland and Virginia."

Bush seriously hurt his back last spring in a car accident, so he was unable to play until the beginning of practice this fall. He was still able to go up to Maryland and UVA on unofficial visits.

"If I get offers from either of those two schools it would be great. They are definitely places I could see myself going. The coaches are great and really have their teams on the right track."

Bush says that the biggest factor in his decision will be who can best prepare him for life after college, whatever road he decides to take. He also is unsure of when he will make his decision.

"I just took the ACT, so I am waiting for results. After that, hopefully I will get some more offers, and then I can take some visits. After everything goes through, I’ll decide."

Most of the schools he lists are recruiting him as a defensive end, but some also like him at tight end. One of his leaders -- Clemson -- is recruiting him for defense, but likes the fact that he has the ability to play on both sides of the ball.

So far this year the work Bush put in has paid off. He has improved his 40-yard dash time to 4.6 seconds, while adding muscle. He has helped lead his team to a 6-1 record, while compiling four sacks.