The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE ❱ OCTOBER 2026 BY ANTHONY BROOME F ormer U-M tight end and Big Ten Network analyst Jake Butt (2013-16) experienced some early adversity on the field in the transition from Brady Hoke to Jim Harbaugh in 2015, though per- haps not to the extent Kyle Whitting- ham's current team did between Weeks 1 and 2 this season. Butt and his Wolverines went out to Utah in the first game of the Harbaugh era in 2015 and were dealt a loss they had to rally back from. This year, Whit- tingham's squad nearly lost to Western Michigan and were put on notice — both in the building and among the media contingent — after it took a walk-off Hail Mary to secure victory. Regardless, both results spurred a re- sponse the next week against power- conference opponents. U-M's 2015 team took down Oregon State 35-7 the following week, while Team 147 de- feated No. 11 Oklahoma this year 17-10 on Sept. 12. "I do think it was really different," Butt told The Wolverine. "We went on the road to a tough [venue]; that Utah team, I think, was ranked in the top four, or certainly top five at some point in the season. That was a good Utah team. It was on the road, at elevation. And even though we lost, I remember think- ing, wow, it felt different — it was more competitive than what we were used to in years past. "So there were indicators that we were trending in the right direction. You could come away from a loss saying, 'A few corrections here or there, and we're right where we want to be.' Whereas Michigan's near-loss to Western Michi- gan — I think Western Michigan has a really good football team, but it should have never been that close. "I think that was a gut-check time for everybody — for Kyle, for the staff, for the offensive line, obviously for [sopho- more quarterback Bryce Underwood]. They said all the right things through- out the week, especially Kyle, and came back — especially on the defensive side of the ball — and set the tone again. I'm thinking of the metaphor of sharks that smell blood in the water, and they were just circling [Sooners quarterback John] Mateer the whole game long. They were ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? BTN Analyst, Former Wolverine Jake Butt Weighs In On Team 147's Gut-Check Moment Butt was a standout tight end at Michigan from 2013-16, winning the 2015 Ozzie Newsome Award and 2016 John Mackey Award as the nation's best tight end before playing in eight games over two injury-plagued NFL seasons. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ❱ The Jake Butt File Michigan Accomplishments: Part of back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015- 16 … Program record holder for most catches (138) and yards (1,646) by a tight end … One of seven U-M tight ends to reach 1,000 career yards … Two-time Sports Illustrated All-American (2015-16) … John Mackey Award winner (2016) … Co-captain in 2016. Professional Accomplishments: Den- ver Broncos (2017-20) ... Chicago Bears (2021) ... Big Ten Network football ana- lyst (2022-present). Education: Graduated in 2016 from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts with a degree focusing on sociology.