Steelers Spotlight: Devin Bush Jr.

When you think of the name Devin Bush, you probably imagine the safety who won a Super Bowl championship with the St. Louis Rams. This thought process is starting to change, however. Devin Bush Sr.’s son, Devin Bush Jr., is an up and coming rookie linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Devin Bush Jr. has been making a name for himself since a young age but he is only just now getting into the national spotlight.

Bush Jr. began his journey at 7-years-old when he tried out for the Pasadena Lakes Panthers youth football team in South Florida. It was clear that he wanted to play the game for himself, not to prove anything to the world or his father. Bush Sr. taught his son a lot of life lessons along the way because he knew his son was talented. Bush Jr. was confused, and even angry, at times because his father never told him why he was so hard on him. Bush Jr. was finally able to understand when he and Bush Sr. played their last game together. Bush Sr. was the coach of the high school team, and Bush Jr. would be headed to college early. The two embraced on the field and thanked one another for their journey. Their relationship would shape Bush Jr.’s future career.

The college that Bush Jr. attended was the University of Michigan. He was clearly a great player, but he was amongst many other stars. Bush Jr. had to prove himself, and eventually caught the eye of upperclassmen and coaches because of his physicality and maturity. He created his own legacy at the school. Bush Jr. and was named to the All-Big Ten defensive first-team, named captain by his teammates, and announced he would forego his senior season in order to enter into the 2019 NFL draft. He was drafted by the Steelers at 10^th overall.

Bush Jr. made his NFL debut this season. He was on the starting line for the first game of the regular season and has made some big plays overall. While his record isn’t perfect, Bush Jr. certainly has potential. Even Ryan Shazier has been mentoring him. Bush Jr. has said that he and Shazier communicate daily and that Shazier is like a big brother to him. Bush Jr.’s professional career has just begun, but it is clear that he is fitting right into the team. Bush Jr.’s hard work is paying off, and he’s only a rookie. It will be exciting to see where his journey takes him.