The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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58 THE WOLVERINE ❱ DECEMBER 2023 BY ANTHONY BROOME F ormer Michigan tight end Jake Butt (2013-16) came out of his playing career wondering what his next step might be. Life after playing football is a crossroad that can be difficult to navigate for many top athletes. Butt was no exception to this, expe- riencing the challenge of next-chapter uncertainty after he officially retired from the NFL in 2021. "I know a lot of guys have trouble with it," Butt said. "It's a challenging thing, because playing football is your complete identity. And then all of a sud- den you're a player one day and then you're not the next day." After getting his feet wet in media with podcast appearances and analyst spots, Butt was asked to broadcast U-M's spring football game by the Big Ten Network in 2022. It was an opportunity he nearly passed on, though. "I experienced a little bit of, 'OK, where do I go from here? What should I do? Who am I?' I was open to learning about a lot of things and trying some things until the Big Ten Network offered me to call the Michi- gan spring game. First I said no, and I did not know if this was for me. I didn't know if I wanted to get into a media career. "After I called the spring game, I got a feeling that reminded me so much of when I was playing and had a good feel- ing. So, from there, they offered me a job." Butt soon became a full-time analyst with the Big Ten Network, working in a studio role while also traveling around the conference to call games. "It couldn't have gone better," Butt said. "It was such a great, fun year. Call- ing games scratches the same itch as play- ing games, man. The preparation is very similar. The team aspect with my crew at the Big Ten Network is very similar. The pressure of a game leads to a reward when you make a good call and your preparation shines through." Butt finds plenty of similarities be- tween what he does now and what he did as a player, with full weeks dedicated to putting together his scouting reports and notes for his Saturday assignment. "Calling a game isn't about just react- ing to what you're seeing in real time," Butt said. "To have the right call, you need context. You need to know where the team is at, how they got there, and why they're where they're at. "The preparation starts in the offsea- son, and it continues each week. You have to be aware of the conference storylines. A lot of people that watch the Big Ten, they're fans of football in general, not just their team. You have to be aware of the conference as a whole, but then you almost have to know the two individual teams similar to how a fan would. They don't want to listen to someone talk about their team that isn't studied or well- prepped." Things are set to get more exciting for Butt and the Big Ten with the addition of four schools next summer in Washington, Oregon, USC and UCLA. He thinks that will only add to the stakes each week, be- ginning in 2024. "College football is different from a lot of sports because every single game mat- ters," Butt said. "There's no margin for error. And then within the game, every play matters. Every series matters. Every little quarter matters. It just adds up. So that's what makes football special. What you get with these four teams is big-time brands that just add to the implications. Look at that schedule next year, you are going to effectively have a Rose Bowl-level matchup every single week. "Sometimes you're going to have two or three or four or five on a given week, brand on brand, talent on talent, coach on coach — with implications across the board. That just makes for a really inter- esting season, and as a fan of the game of football, I can't wait. It's going to force coaches to change their approach and their roster management throughout the season." Butt's journey into the world of sports broadcasting happened because of a ma- ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Football Alum Jake Butt Finds His Voice As Big Ten Network Analyst Butt was a first-team All-American at Michigan and won the Mackey Award as the nation's most outstanding tight end in 2016. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN