The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/201975
Butting In Tight End Jake Butt And The Rest Of U-M's True Freshman Class Force Their Way Onto The Field M By Andy Reid ichigan head coach Brady Hoke stood in the back of the end zone at Pickerington (Ohio) Central High School, with a gaggle of eager fans waiting in line to meet him and shake his hand. Hoke pleasantly introduced himself to each person, but he was there on a business trip. Pickerington North tight end Jake Butt, a senior, was lighting up the Central defense (which included another soon-to-be Wolverine in senior defensive end Taco Charlton), racking up five catches for 122 yards. Watching Butt slice the defense with short catches that he turned into long gains by powering through broken tackles and going over players for jump balls, Hoke knew the Wolverines had something in this athletic commit. But, at that time, especially with the decreased role of tight ends in today's football, it was hard to tell exactly what. At the high school level, Butt rarely played on the end of the line of scrimmage with his hand in the dirt. And when he did, it was more to find a mismatch in coverage with a line- backer than necessarily to lead the blocking scheme on a running play. Now standing 6-6, 237, Butt is more of tight end. The coaches knew that's where they wanted him — it was just a bit of a gamble. "It's a big projection now, with tight ends," Michigan tight ends and special teams coach Dan Ferrigno said. "He was basically a slot receiver. You try to gauge their athleticism, which is easy to see when they're out on the perimeter, and their toughness. You try to project whether he can make the transition from being out there to putting his hand down and getting down and dirty. You really can't know until you get them here. We have been pretty lucky." The Wolverines certainly have. Butt, who graduated from high school early to join the Wolverines for the winter semester and participate in spring ball, has been one of the biggest bright spots in this year's freshman class. He played in each of the first seven games, making three starts, and hauled in seven catches for 67 yards, adding another dimension to the tight end corps that includes sophomores Devin Funchess and A.J. Williams.