Devin Bush Jr. Commits to Michigan: What 4-Star LB Brings to Wolverines

Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has wasted little time making waves on the recruiting trail, and he made another splash after the Wolverines picked up a commitment from 4-star linebacker Devin Bush Jr. on Wednesday.

The 5’11”, 226-pounder picked Michigan over Auburn and Florida State.

Considering his dad, Devin Bush Sr., was a former star defensive back for the Seminoles, Harbaugh’s ability to pluck Bush out of the Sunshine State is a major victory for the Wolverines.

The younger Bush offered hints into what intrigued him about the Wolverines program earlier in the fall, as detailed by Keith Niebuhr of AuburnUndercover.

“The opportunity to play for coaches that came from the NFL,” Bush told Niebuhr. “They know what to look for and you get the inside tips on how to make yourself better. Practice against a pro-style offense that’s going to be in the pros. Just getting the type of coaching that’s very elite.”

Now that he’s bound for Ann Arbor, what makes the pickup of Bush a critical win for Michigan, and what will he bring to the Michigan defense?

His addition is big for a few reasons.

For starters, as Ourlads illustrates, three of the Wolverines’ top four inside linebackers are seniors.

That makes the linebacker spot one of the more dire needs for Harbaugh and his staff down the stretch in the 2016 cycle.

Bush joins 3-star linebacker Dytarious Johnson as the only commits at that position for the Wolverines in the 2016 class. 

Also, given the fact that Bush is an early enrollee who will be on campus next month, he has the opportunity to learn the system and be ready to play next fall.

While his height may lend some to view him as being too short, he makes up for that with his instincts and quickness. He’s fast enough to chase down plays from sideline to sideline.

Because his skill set is diverse, he could even play on the outside if necessary. He’s physical enough to hold up against the run and athletic enough to cover tight ends and running backs out of the backfield.

Landing Bush also continues Michigan’s push into the talent-rich state of Florida. He’s the fourth Floridian to pledge to the Wolverines in the current cycle—including the third from Flanagan High School in Hollywood, Florida.

For Harbaugh and his staff, it’s vital for them to be able to go into the territories of other national powers and land recruits of Bush’s caliber.

Overall, the commitment of Bush is another strong signal that Harbaugh and his staff are another step closer to rebuilding the Wolverines program into a national powerhouse on the field and on the recruiting trail.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.