Jake Butt

Jake Butt
Michigan Wolverines No. 88
Position Tight end
Class Senior
Major Sociology
Career history
College
Bowl games
High school Pickerington (OH) North
Personal information
Date of birth (1995-07-11) July 11, 1995
Place of birth Pickerington, Ohio
Height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight 248 lb (112 kg)
Career highlights and awards

Jake D. Butt (born July 11, 1995) is an American football tight end. He is currently a senior and team co-captain for the 2016 Michigan Wolverines football team. He was selected as a first-team All-American and was named Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year in both 2015 and 2016.

High school career

Butt was born in 1995 and raised in Pickerington, Ohio, attending Pickerington High School North. As a senior in 2012, he caught 68 passes for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns.[2]

College career

Butt enrolled at the University of Michigan in 2013. As a freshman, he appeared in 13 games, eight as a starter for the 2013 Michigan Wolverines football team. His playing time increased after Devin Funchess moved from tight end to wide receiver.[3] Butt caught 20 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns and was selected by ESPN.com as a member of the All-Big Ten Conference freshman team.[2]

As a sophomore in 2014, Butt missed the first two games while recuperating from a torn ACL. He appeared in 10 games, five as a starter, and recorded 21 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns.[2]

As a junior in 2015, Butt had a career-high eight receptions for 95 yards in the season opener against Utah. His eight catches was the most by a Michigan tight end since 1995.[4] After the game, head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Butt: "He's a football player. I can't give a better compliment."[5] During the 2015 season, Butt had 51 catches for 654 yards (12.8 yds/catch) and three touchdowns.[6] Following the 2015 season, Butt was named the Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year, was named to the All-Big Ten offensive first-team, by both the coaches and media, and named a first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.[7] He also won the Ozzie Newsome Award as the best tight end in college football.[8]

Butt considered declaring for the NFL Draft in early 2016, where he was projected to be picked in the second round. He opted to return to Michigan for his senior season. He explained his rationale for returning as follows: "The main reason I came back is I think we have a chance at having a special season this year and I got a little taste of what that could be last year."[9] In August 2016, Butt and defensive end Chris Wormley were selected by a vote of their teammates as the team captains for the 2016 Michigan team.[10][11] Through the first three games of the 2016 season, Butt led the Wolverines with 15 receptions, and he was second behind Amara Darboh with 192 receiving yards.[12] During the 2016 season, Butt was the team's second-leading receiver with 43 receptions for 518 yards and four touchdowns, including 29 of those catches that netted a first down. He became both Michigan's all-time leading receiver in yards by a tight end (1,618 yards) and the program's record holder for career receptions by a tight end (135). Following the 2016 season, Butt was named to the All-Big Ten offensive first-team, by both the coaches and media, and earned the Kwalick–Clark Tight End of the Year for the second straight season.[13]

References

  1. "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jake Butt". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  3. "Michigan TE Jake Butt could be biggest offensive weapon". Detroit Free Press. August 13, 2015.
  4. "Michigan tight end Jake Butt is no joke". The Detroit News. September 8, 2015.
  5. "Jake Butt gets Jim Harbaugh's top compliment, staff believes sky is the limit for junior TE". Mlive.com. September 10, 2015.
  6. "2015 Michigan Football: Michigan Overall Individual Statistics (as of Jan 01, 2016) All games" (PDF). University of Michigan. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  7. "Butt, Lewis, Peppers Earn All-America Honors from SI". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  8. "Past Honorees". Touchdown Club of Columbus. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  9. Mick McCabe (July 27, 2016). "Michigan TE Jake Butt: I came back to have a 'special season'". Detroit Free Press.
  10. Mark Snyder (August 26, 2016). "Michigan football captains: DL Chris Wormley, TE Jake Butt". Detroit Free Press.
  11. Angelique S. Chengelis (September 1, 2016). "TE Jake Butt: Michigan's leader and best". The Detroit News.
  12. "2016 Michigan Football Statistics (3-game Totals)". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. September 17, 2016.
  13. "Butt Repeats as Big Ten's Tight End of the Year". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 30, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
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