GBMWolverine: Michigan Football Recruiting — Jake Butt (TE) — 2013 Verbal Commit — Profile
Posted at 6:00am — 2/25/2012
GBMWolverine: Michigan Football Recruiting — Jake Butt (TE) — 2013 Verbal Commit — Profile
GBMWolverine readers: Here is a brief overview of recent verbal commitment Jake Butt from Pickerington North High School — Pickerington, Ohio.
Height: 6’6
Weight: 230
Number: 1/84
Current Position: Tight End/Defensive End
Future Position: Tight End
City/State: Pickerington, Ohio
High School: Pickerington North
Head Coach: Tom Phillips
Committed: 2/19/2012
Top 5 other Offers: Iowa, Stanford, Tennessee, UCLA and Wisconsin.
Rankings: 24/7: 4-star … ESPN: ESPNU150 … FanSided: 4-star … Rivals: 4-star … Scout: N/A.
40-Time: 4.7
Shuttle: 4.31
Bench Max: 280
Vertical: 30″
Broad Jump: 8’6
GPA: 3.85
Class: 2013 Michigan Wolverine Recruiting Class (Verbal Commit).
Opening Comments:
Michigan has been described as tight end poor and that description may last through the 2013 season. The class of 2012 brings in two question marks at tight end: Funchess, a split u-back type, and Williams, a classic y, traditional tight end. Funchess could be used in other ways as well. The current returnees include roster players largely untested.
The class of 2013 battle map left Michigan with a remaining tight end need after the Blue struck out with 2012 Cleveland tight end Sam Grant. So far two very good athletes, Khalid Hill and Jake Butt have committed.
Will this end the tight end sweepstakes for 2013? Probably so is the best guess, as Michigan received a commitment from a high priority target, Butt, and a commitment from a versatile athlete in Hill.
Overview:
Jake Butt plays defensive end and tight end at Pickerington North, a rival of Taco Charlton’s Pickerington Central.
He is capable of playing either position in college, and on many sites is favored as a defensive end.
But UM recruited Jake as a tight end, a choice with which he seems comfortable.
Jake caught 27 passes and recorded 45 tackles as a junior.
Jake carries an impressive 3.85 grade point average. The Pickerington school district is highly rated.
Strengths:
Jake has great length and a huge wingspan.
On defense Jake has an excellent first step and above average overall speed.
He has excellent hands and is a willing blocker. Jake is athletic enough to also help at slot in certain packages.
On defense he shows the ability to be a good edge rusher, is athletic enough to drop into coverage, and physical enough to handle tight ends.
Needs work:
Jake definitely needs time in the weight room to add weight and strength.
He also will need to work on his explosiveness and overall movement skills.
But a qualifier is put forth: he has the frame and size to get to 250 pounds and the athletic ability to be a weapon in the passing game.
Like all freshman tight ends that are a little on the light side, he will soon see what it is like to block five technique tackles or rush defensive ends.
Final Thoughts:
Jake Butt shows his overall athleticism by excelling on both sides of the ball.
He is a good enough basketball player to play university level ball, albeit not major Division One.
He is a confident young man and appears to be one that has been drawn to Michigan by a number of familiar circumstances: opportunity, love of coaching staff, impressed by the tradition and overall excellence of Michigan, and a realization that Ann Arbor will be a great place to spend four or five years and get a national level degree.
The view here is that Jake and Michigan will be a great fit.
We welcome Jake Butt to Michigan and hope he has a successful career on and off the football field as a student-athlete at the University of Michigan. Go Blue!
Red-shirt or play his Freshman Year?
GBMWolverine believes he will likely red-shirt his first year.
Jake Butt reminds the GBMWolverine Staff of — Former Michigan Football Player — Mike Massey — who played Tight End.
Highlight Videos:
Junior Year:
Sophomore Year:
ESPN breakdown of big Michigan Recruiting Weekend
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
Go Blue — Wear Maize!