Devin Bush and Taylor Lewan Land On Big Ten Network's All-Decade Team
Offensive tackle Taylor Lewan and linebacker Devin Bush missed each other by two seasons at Michigan, but the standout Wolverines are now both members of the Big Ten Network's All-Decade team, which was announced earlier this week.
Lewan, who was at Michigan for a total of five seasons from 2009-2013, started 48 games for the Wolverines, which includes an impressive streak of 41 consecutive starts at left tackle.
“He was an overpowering All-American, but I just remember him being the latest in a long line of nasty Michigan offensive lineman,” Big Ten Network's Rick Pizzo said. “Whether it was Jon Jansen, whether it was Jake Long, whether it was guys that held that position and just took so much pride in playing that spot, protecting Michigan's quarterback. These are the offensive lineman that defensive linemen never wanted to go against.”
Though Lewan came on a bit slowly during his redshirt sophomore campaign, the former four-star recruit was named to the College Football News Freshman All-American second team for his efforts. After that, the Arizona native ascended to the All-Big Ten second team in 2011 before putting together what was perhaps his most dominant campaign in Ann Arbor as a redshirt junior a year later. During that time, Lewan had firmly established himself as one of the top offensive lineman in the Big Ten and was widely considered one of the best left tackles in the nation by the end of the season. Lewan would go on to secure first team All-American honors by SI.com and brought home the Big Ten Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year award as well.
By that point, much scuttlebutt existed around Lewan's impending NFL Draft decision. That draft class saw three offensive lineman go off the board in the first 10 picks, so several teams had a clear need for blocking support that year. Instead, Lewan chose to return to Ann Arbor for his final year of eligibility, and he helped the Wolverines to a 7-6 record overall. Still, Lewan was named as a first-team All-American by Sporting News and eventually was selected by the Tennessee Titans at No. 11 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Since then, Lewan has delivered on his lofty draft status and currently checks in as one of the toughest matchups for defensive lineman on a yearly basis. In fact, Lewan was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2016-2018 before running into suspension trouble last fall.
While Lewan took a little bit of time to catch on as an integral piece of Michigan's offensive line, Bush reached the pinnacle of his U-M career a little bit quicker. Back in 2017, Bush posted 102 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and one interception en route to his position as a Dick Butkus Award finalist and an Associated Press second-team All-American.
One season later, Bush contributed very similar numbers with 80 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. He was named a Butkus Award finalist and a consensus All-American during his last season as a Wolverine.
That year, Bush produced perhaps his most notable and controversial moment at Michigan by stomping all over Michigan State's midfield logo prior to a 21-7 victory over the Spartans.
That offseason, Bush chose to enter the NFL Draft and was selected No. 10 overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just as he did at Michigan, Bush has made an impact early on with a 109 tackle, two interception and one sack rookie campaign.
Both players clearly were a cut above the rest of their Big Ten competition while in college, and Lewan and Bush still stick out as some of the best at their position as professionals in the NFL. The two were very safe selections by the Big Ten Network but were very deserving selections nonetheless.
Do you think that any other Michigan players were deserving of making the list? What about Jabrill Peppers or Denard Robinson? Let us know!
