AJ Bush is headed back to the Big Ten.
The former Nebraska quarterback is transferring to Illinois and will be eligible immediately as a graduate transfer. This will be his fourth college program. After 247Sports reported the transfer Monday night, Bush changed his Twitter bio Tuesday to say he’s a “Fighting Illini quarterback.”
Bush spent last season at Virginia Tech and played at Iowa Western in 2016 after leaving Nebraska that summer.
Illinois returns little experience at quarterback. The Illini will have only one quarterback on scholarship for spring practice — sophomore Cam Thomas, who started two games last season — and will add three true freshmen in the fall. Bush, according to 247Sports, won’t go on scholarship until the start of fall camp.
Illinois plays at Nebraska on Nov. 10.
Bush, a member of Nebraska’s 2014 recruiting class, never played in a game during his time in Lincoln. He spent his first two seasons behind starter Tommy Armstrong and likely would have been NU’s No. 3 QB entering the 2016 season had he not transferred.
He then went to Iowa Western, where he threw for 602 yards, ran for 265 and accounted for eight touchdowns. He joined Virginia Tech for the 2017 season but spent it as a backup, appearing in five games with 11 pass attempts.
