2018 Football Roster
Jersey Number 1
AJ Bush Jr.
- Ht./Wt.:
- 6-4 / 225
- Position:
- QB
- Hometown:
- Alpharetta, Ga.
- High School:
- Norcross
Career Highs
Attempts: 39 at Northwestern, 11/24/18
Completions: 23 at Northwestern, 11/24/18
Passing Yards: 281 at Northwestern, 11/24/18
Passing Touchdowns: 2, twice (last vs. Minnesota, 11/3/18)
Long Pass: 84 at Maryland, 10/27/18
Carries: 25 at Nebraska, 11/10/18
Rushing Yards: 187 at Nebraska, 11/10/18
Rushing Touchdowns: 3 at Nebraska, 11/10/18
Long Rush: 44 vs. Minnesota, 11/3/18
Total Offense: 343 vs. Minnesota, 11/3/18
2018 Senior
- Played 10 games with nine starts at quarterback
- 117-of-217 passing for 1,413 yards and six touchdowns
- 138 carries for 733 rushing yards and eight touchdowns
- Third-most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season and a career in Illinois history
- First Illinois quarterback with multiple 100-yard rushing games in a season since Nate Scheelhaase had four in 2010
- Led Illinois in completions (117), passing yards (1,413), passing touchdowns (6) and efficiency (108.52)
- Second on the team in rushing yards (773) and all-purpose yards (733)
- Illinois record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 187 at Nebraska 11/10/18
- Four touchdowns (two rushing, two passing), career-high 18 completions, 216 passing yards and 127 rushing yards in a 55-31 win over Minnesota 11/3/18
- 84-yard touchdown pass to Dominic Stampley at Maryland was the third-longest passing play in Illinois history
- 18 carries for 116 yards and two rushing touchdowns at Rutgers 10/6/18, his first career multi-touchdown game
- Missed the South Florida and Penn State games with an injury suffered in the Western Illinois game
- 139 rushing yards against Kent State, the fifth-most all-time by an Illinois quarterback (first Big Ten quarterback with at least 190 pass yards and 139 rushing yards in a game since 2014)
- First career start in the season opener against Kent State
- Transferred to Illinois with one year of eligibility remaining
- Joined the team Aug. 3 for the start of training camp
2017 Junior (Virginia Tech)
- Played in five games at Virginia Tech
- Completed seven of 11 passes for 99 yards and one touchdown
- 19 rush attempts for 129 yards (6.8 yards per carry)
2016 Sophomore (Iowa Western)
- Played in 10 games at Iowa Western Community College
- Completed 52 of 114 passes for 602 yards and three touchdowns
- 95 rush attempts for 285 yards and five touchdowns (3.0 yards per carry)
2015 Redshirt Freshman (Nebraska)
- Member of the team at Nebraska
- Did not see game action
2014 Freshman (Nebraska)
- Redshirted at Nebraska
High School
- Helped lead Norcross High School to a 6A state title
- Completed 139 of 259 passes for 2,101 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior
- Rushed for 764 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior
- Rushed for almost 900 yards and passed for 1,000 yards as a junior
- Helped lead the Eagles to the first round of the 6A playoffs as a junior
- Won the Elite 11 Golden Gun accuracy challenge
Personal
- Born Jan. 26, 1996
- Son of Alvin and Karen Bush
- Two brothers, James and Donnish, and one sister, Jasmine
- Father played football at San Diego State
- Graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in sociology
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Illinois Football | Xavier Scott Return Announcement Press Conference Press Conference 1/21/26
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