Jake Butt of Michigan football might be the best tight end in the nation and that’s why he should be feared and respected by every Wolverine opponent next season.
When it comes to tight ends, Michigan football has had quite a few good ones. But Jake Butt might just be better than them all.
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Butt, who is coming off an All-American season in 2015, one in which he caught 51 passes for 654 yards and three touchdowns, certainly has a much to prove before earning that title. Yet that the fact that he has a chance to be in that conversation, shows how truly good he is and can become.
Unfortunately for Butt, his first two seasons at Michigan were riddled with injury, he missed a total of seven games and pathetically poor play from his quarterbacks, (ahem, Devin Garnder).
However, in 2015, everything changed. Butt was finally healthy and finally had a head coach (Jim Harbaugh) that had more than half a brain. Harbaugh makes players better and one thing he did to make Butt at least more productive, was find him a capable quarterback in Jake Rudock.
Butt’s 51 receptions were 10 more than the 41 he amassed during his freshman and sophomore seasons. He also averaged 12.8 yards per reception, more than a yard higher than his career average coming into the season.
There’s no doubt about it, the light came on for Butt last season and in 2016, he should be even better.
As a tight end, Butt really can do it all and last season he did it all for the Michigan football team. See, he’s not only tremendous catching the football, he’s also turned into a pretty good blocker. He’s a big guy, he’s competitive and he’s tough as nails.
Basically, he’s exactly what you’d think Harbaugh would love in a tight end. It’s also why the teams playing Michigan this fall should spend extra time preparing for him, because in truth, he is the Wolverines’ best offensive player.
Outside of the Michigan State game, when he caught just one pass for four yards, he showed up in big games. He had nine catches for 93 yards and a touchdown against Utah, while also catching key touchdowns in late-season road wins over Indiana and Penn St.
Even against the Buckeys, he caught five passes for 54 yards. The biggest concern again this year for Butt, may be the quarterback.
Harbaugh has to decide between John O’Korn and Wilton Speight, but either way, it will be a new starter. That could be worrisome for Michigan, but at this point in his career, Butt will help either quarterback be better thanks to his impressive play-making ability.
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Butt is an absolute stud and he’s going to be ripping up a Big-Ten opponent near you very, very soon.