CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Senior quarterback AJ Bush Jr. will start for the Illinois football team in the season opener Saturday against Kent State, head coach Lovie Smith announced Monday at his press conference. Bush is a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech and joined the Illini team Aug. 3 at the start of training camp.
"AJ Bush will be our starting quarterback," said Lovie Smith. "We're excited about what AJ has done. He moved into a leadership role right away."
Bush is a 6-4, 225-pound left-hander from Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, and Norcross High School. He began his college career in 2014 at Nebraska before transferring to Iowa Western in 2016 and Virginia Tech last season.
"(Bush) made plays through camp," said offensive coordinator Rod Smith. "He was probably the most consistent in camp, made the most big plays, the least amount of mistakes. All the things we ask our quarterback to do, he did."
Bush earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Virginia Tech and is pursuing a master's in recreation, sport and tourism. He is in his final year of eligibility.
Illinois and Kent State will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on Big Ten Network.
