Anthony McFarland Still Remembers the First Time He Met Devin Bush

PITTSBURGH -- Anthony McFarland and Devin Bush won't meet for the first when facilities reopen in Pittsburgh. The Steelers 2020 fourth-round draft pick got a warm welcome via Twitter from his new teammate Bush when his name was called last month, clearing a clean slate between the two Big Ten opponents.

Some may question what this tweet refers to. Well, as Maryland and Michigan stars, McFarland and Bush weren't the best of friends during their time in college.

It was McFarland's first time playing Michigan in 2018 as the Terrapins traveled to The Big House in Ann Arbor. A handoff up the middle didn't go far as Bush met Maryland's exciting new back at the line of scrimmage and made sure he remembered it.

"He was talking to me the whole game," McFarland recalls. "The play that he tackled me on, he said I couldn’t mess with him. I just started laughing and went back to the huddle."

On the way to a 42-21 win, Bush made sure McFarland knew who would be there when he broke through the first line of defense. But while he was talking, McFarland didn't have much to say back.

"I guess it was kind of like my welcome into college," said McFarland. "I just took it and moved on. That’s a part of the game, the trash talking and stuff, it never gets to me. When he said that, we both just started laughing. That is what football is all about."

The feud didn't last long. In fact, Bush made sure to clear the air following the win.

"I feel like he is a good person because after the game he came up to me and told me how much he respected my game and told me to keep working hard," McFarland said. "That meant a lot to me coming from a guy like that."

Now, the two will sit in the same locker room at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. As teammates, they'll be rooting for each other to improve instead of looking to overcome the other.

Bush made his thoughts on known when he welcomed McFarland to the NFL. Talking about the incident for the first time since joining the Steelers, McFarland expressed why he's excited to be on this side of the battle during the next chapter of his football career.

"You watch him play, the nasty he has in his game, he played that position the way it was supposed to be played in college and the NFL," he said. "I am excited to be his teammate. Definitely excited rather than going against him."