The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? OCTOBER 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 going to let Oklahoma know, 'You guys can't hang with us,' as far as Michigan's defense versus Oklahoma's offense. That's the exact response you want to see." Turning the page and getting one re- sult cannot be where the progress ends, remarked Butt. The 2026 team learned plenty about its character but should never be satisfied. "I wouldn't be happy coming out of that game," Butt said. "I'd be glad we won, but there's still so much to im- prove. Week 1, you have to deal with the adversity of falling short of a standard, and then you beat Oklahoma, and now everybody's singing your praises. That might even be more dangerous." Whittingham and the staff speed-ran through the honeymoon phase with the new regime after the close call against Western Michigan and escaping by the skin of their teeth. However, it earned a lot of goodwill and patience back from the fanbase — and those analyzing the on-field product — with how the pro- gram handled its business in Week 2. "I just love the response," Butt said. "That was a huge week against Oklahoma — truly, your back is against the wall. It's like a crash course into, 'Oh shoot, I'm the coach at Michigan.' I can't speak for Utah fully, but I can't imagine winning a close game in Week 1 at Utah becoming national news the way it did here at Michi- gan. All of a sudden, the sunshine and roses are thrown to the side, and national media is asking questions. "The staff responded with a great game plan — by challenging their players, by elevating their players, by getting their confidence up. That was really impressive. But again, now this is a new challenge where everybody's singing your praises. They go from doubting you and asking questions to say- ing, 'Great game plan, they got it figured out with Bryce,' whatever. "Now it's on the staff to navi- gate the challenges of being sung praises consistently." What made the Wolverines' struggles on opening weekend so surprising, though, was how little a staff with a long track record of success, both at Utah and elsewhere, was able to get out of U-M against a team it paid $1.5 million to host. Whether that winds up being a blip on the radar or not, Butt feels Michigan has the right leadership in place to get the program where it wants to be. "It's a great staff," Butt said. "Hon- estly, [defensive coordinator] Jay Hill is cut from that same Mike Macdonald, Jesse Minter mold — the elite Michigan defense mold. He's cut from that same cloth. I give a ton of credit to [offensive coordinator] Jason Beck too. I know ev- eryone wants to see Michigan's offense become an elite top-five offense — I don't know if they have the personnel, I don't know if they have the offensive line. Obviously, you have to pass the ball to get there. I think right now the focus is more about protecting your young quar- terback than trying to be an elite offense. "So I think we've got to evaluate Beck through that lens. It's a completely dif- ferent lens from Jay Hill, so I give him a ton of credit." Butt, who also hosts "The Blueprint" podcast with former U-M quarterback and FOX analyst Devin Gardner, has been working as an analyst with Big Ten Network since 2022 and returned to Ann Arbor for the Week 3 win against UTEP. He has no shortage of experience both playing and broadcasting inside the Big House, but it is a sensation he says will never get old. "Never. Honestly, it's still really emo- tional for me," Butt said. "I love that place. I love [Associate Athletics Direc- tor] Dave Ablauf and [Director of Foot- ball Communications] Chad Shepard and everybody in the building that I know. I love this new staff. Even my pic- ture's on the wall up in the stadium in the booth, and it's just mind-blowing to me. It's a chance to reflect, and the crowd is always awesome. I love it." Butt spends the fall on sev- eral different Big Ten cam- puses, but Ann Arbor is still home away from home, and there are a few spots he makes sure to hit when he is in town. " Sc h e m b e c h l e r H a l l i s the obvious one," Butt said. "Probably Main Street — we go out as a crew for different meals; I love going to Main Street. My favorite break- fast spot is still Benny's, over there by [Lucky Strike bowl- ing alley]. " T h ey h ave n 't c h a n ge d their prices in forever. I've got a good relationship with Benny's — I went there a ton as a player. I just love getting their little diner coffee. That's my go-to spot." ❑ After retiring from the NFL in 2021, Butt became a color analyst for Big Ten Network and co-hosts "The Big College Football Show" on Chicago Sports Network. PHOTO COURTESY FOX SPORTS ❱ Jake Butt on Utah game "I remember thinking, wow, it felt different — it was more competitive than what we were used to in years past."