The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/382426
MICHIGAN FOOTBALL The Wolverine: You tore your ACL on Feb. 13, but returned even faster than fifth-year senior linebacker Jake Ryan did after he suffered the same injury last year. How did you do it? Jake Butt: "I went above and be- yond everything they did in treat- ment, would always do it on my own whether it was in my dorm room or wherever, just coming back trying to get an edge on anyone else who had had an ACL injury before. I wanted to put myself in the best position possi- ble … and I didn't have any setbacks. "Throughout the rehab process it felt really good. I was hitting all my goals. The doctor even said this was one of the fastest recoveries he'd seen. I exceeded all of his expecta- tions and exceeded all of mine, as well." The Wolverine: What was your initial goal on a return date? Butt: "I had my surgery Feb. 27. A day later, I said I needed to be back for the Notre Dame game [Sept. 6]. "It was still a coaching decision and a doctor's decision, but my grandpa [the late Bob Lally] played there, so it was a big game for me … I wanted to put myself in the best position possible." The Wolverine: Did it take a while to get past the mental part, worrying about whether or not you might hurt it again? Butt: "I've always considered myself a mentally strong person. I'm definitely over that hump. [Doctors] always told me that I'm on the end of doing too much, so they wanted me to slow it down rather than being too careful with it. "Jake [Ryan] got after me in practice, even, after I was celebrating a touch- down in [seven-on-seven drills] and did a chest bump to celebrate. He was like, 'What are you doing?'" The Wolverine: With junior wide receiver Devin Funchess switching to jersey No. 1, has there been any talk of wearing Ron Kramer's No. 87 Legends jersey Five Questions With Sophomore Tight End Jake Butt Butt made a major impact in the win over Miami (Ohio), with three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN