The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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COMMITMENT PROFILE Talented Tight End Jake Butt Commits To U-M about 3,000 Division I FBS scholarships avail- able to high school se- niors. Roughly 1.1 mil- lion high schoolers play the game, so a player who earns a scholarship is a rarity. Even more rare is a Each year, there are player who has such a wide range of physical skills that he earns of- fers on both sides of the ball. Pickerington (Ohio) North tight end Jake Butt is one such athlete. "About one-third of plained. "Michigan has told me tight end, slot receiver and H-back. tight ends, despite sign- ing two in the 2012 class. Butt was the second to commit to the Wolverines' class of 2013, joining Detroit Crockett athlete Khalid Hill. While Hill is bound for the "U-back" position, the 6-6, 230-pound Butt is a more traditional tight end, with the size and strength to serve as a blocker in the run game, and the speed and hands to be a threat catching passes as well. His best asset, however, is his attitude. "I'm tenacious, Michigan is hungry for " every play. I don't take anything for granted because you don't know which one is going to be your last play. " Butt said. "I come hard seven touchdowns as a junior, while contributing 45 tackles with 17 for loss and 10 sacks on the other side of the ball. That total package led to Division-1 all-state special mention as a junior, and Butt's ranking as a four-star prospect and the No. 96 player overall in the country by Rivals.com. "On offense he can be tight to the He caught 27 passes for 424 yards and " " he ex- State is a great school, but there's a lot of other schools out there that have great opportunities. The opportunity at " the schools recruited me as an athlete, one-third for defense, and one third for offense, Butt is ranked as a four-star prospect and the No. 96 player overall in the country by Rivals.com. be a major threat in the passing game." By any objective measure, Butt was a big prospect for Michigan's coaches to land. He also held scholarship of- fers from Boston College, Northwest- ern Wisconsin, and Virginia. One offer that he didn't hold was from Ohio State, even though he grew up in the suburbs of Columbus. "I've grown up a Buckeye fan for sure living in Pickerington, which isn't too far away from the Horseshoe, " he said. "Ohio Michigan was eventu- ally too much for him to pass up. Following a visit Feb. 18 — the day the Wolverines picked up six commitments — Butt decided that, despite plans to see Notre Dame, Stanford and Virginia, among other schools, he couldn't wait any longer to become a Wol- verine. The next day, he pledged to Brady Hoke and become the Wolver- ines' 10th commitment in the 2013 class. "My parents loved it up PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM chance to meet the coaches, and she looked like she was having a real fun time, too. It's good to get up there with my parents because they're the ones who have given me all these opportuni- ties and gotten me to where I am right now. They got a chance to talk with the coaches, and they really liked it up there. With parental approval out of the way, there, too," he said. "My dad went to some games up there with me this year. My mom got the he'll trade in his scarlet-and-gray for maize-and-blue. formation and used to block or split out as a wide receiver," said Rivals.com Midwest recruiting analyst Josh Helm- holdt. "He is a natural pass catcher, and his speed is above average for the tight end position. He also shows great competency and willingness as a blocker. He has the size to block in the run game and the athleticism to high school, Butt shows hands as good as many wide receivers when he catches the ball. He does a good job positioning his body to make the catches and ex- tends his arms away from his body to reel in passes. Butt also shows above-average athleticism for the position. Sometimes tight ends can appear to be lumbering down the field, but he shows smooth strides, and the ability to stretch the field down the middle. Areas of Improvement: Looking like a wide receiver can be a blessing and a curse for tight end prospects. Butt will need to continue adding weight to be a factor in the run game at the next level. Fortunately, his frame is built to carry an additional 20+ pounds. Butt's film doesn't show much of his repertoire as a blocker. To be a tight end Strengths: Even though he's a prospect who plays on the end of the line in FILM EVALUATION in Michigan's offense, the ability to drive defenders off the ball is of the utmost importance, and Butt will have to demonstrate that he's capable in order to earn playing time. Michigan Player Comparison: Jerame Tuman was a slightly undersized tight end when he entered Michigan in 1994, but the pass-catcher added weight and became a true blocking threat by his senior season in 1998. — Analysis from TheWolverine.com APRIL 2012 THE WOLVERINE 61 — Tim Sullivan "