Kornacki: Jake Butt is the Real Deal
8/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 13, 2015
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Michigan tight end Jake Butt is the real deal.
"Jake Butt is as good a prospect as any that we've coached at the college level," said Wolverine coach Jim Harbaugh. "And I'm excited to watch him compete, and watch his development and progress."
Butt could hardly contain himself upon learning that Harbaugh, with his reputation for developing premier tight ends and featuring them in his offense, was his new head coach.
"It was like Christmas morning when I saw that," said Butt. "Coach Harbaugh's notorious for having a tight end-heavy system, and he put a bunch of tight ends in the NFL back when he was at Stanford."
Harbaugh sent five tight ends to the NFL in four seasons as the head coach at Stanford, which became known as Tight End U.
"So, I was fired up when I saw he was hired," said Butt. "I was at Chipotle with my dad, and I was like, 'OK, I've got a really big burrito and this is my celebration.' "
Butt smiled widely and his eyes lit up just recalling that moment.
Stanford, under Harbaugh, produced a pair of first team All-American tight ends in Zach Ertz (2012) and Coby Fleener (2011), who also became second-round picks by the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts, respectively.
Harbaugh recruited both of them along with future NFL tight ends Konrad Reuland and Levine Toilolo. He inherited freshman tight end Jim Dray in 2007, and Dray also has stuck in the NFL.
Butt, at 6-foot-6 and 248 pounds, is almost the exact same size as Ertz and Fleener. He's got the power to be a factor on the line, and the speed and hands to become a handful running routes. Butt has everything required to be Harbaugh's next impact tight end.
-- Jake Butt
Still, Harbaugh emphasized that producing so many pros at that position isn't just a matter of him churning out tight ends.
"That statement sounds like it is a personal accomplishment by me wherever I've been," said Harbaugh, who also had Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. "But it's not. It's been a team effort, and we're very proud of that. We've had great tight ends that have played in this system, and we've had the great pleasure to coach and had tremendous success.
"I'm very confident we can do a good job in that area. Our coaches and our system are really good at the tight end position. We value it more than I can describe to you right now."
Jay Harbaugh, his son, is the tight ends coach at Michigan.
"Jay's a Harbaugh and so he's going to have that football knowledge," said Butt. "He's a really smart guy and has been around some great players and great coaches his whole life. He just has that natural ability to teach.
"But he's a lot different than Coach Harbaugh, who is really intense and upbeat. Jay's more about taking you off to the side and telling you what you are doing wrong, and coaching you through it. I really like that about Jay, and he knows what each one of us in the tight end room brings to the table. He's trying to put us all in the best position to help this team."
Offensive coordinator and line coach Tim Drevno also is a big part of tight end development.
"Coach Drevno is a really great coach," said Butt. "Everyone on our staff is the best of the best. From the things he's demanded of us, you can tell the expectations are high."
Butt, named to the watch list for the John Mackey Award that goes to the nation's top tight end, was asked about his own expectations.
"We just want to do something special," said Butt. "We're tired of losing; that's not acceptable any more. We just want to take one game at a time, and give Utah our best shot, and get on a roll, see if we can do something big."
The Wolverines were 5-7 last season, and one of those losses came at home against Utah, which hosts Michigan in the Sept. 3 season opener.
Butt was never the factor he'd hoped to be last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his right knee while running a route in February 2014. He started four games late last season, finishing with 21 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns. Coaches limited his playing time to protect him while he regained full stability.
"The biggest thing for me is just getting back to 100 percent health," said Butt. "I thought I was fully healthy last year. But until this spring, I didn't really know what it felt like to be 100 percent again. I feel real good. And I've taken every (practice) rep like it's a championship game."
Michigan quarterback Shane Morris said, "With him being healthy this year, I think he's going to be one of the best tight ends in the nation, and a lot of people do. He just works his butt off and is a great route runner, a great blocker, has great hands, and is strong and tough.
"He's got all you'd want in the tight end position, and I'm excited to throw to him to see what he's going to do this year."
Wolverine fans are as thrilled about Butt's possibilities as the coaches and his teammates, and there were numerous children wearing his No. 88 jersey at a Youth Day for fans on Aug. 6 at Michigan Stadium.
"It means a lot," said Butt. "We've got great fans, and when they've got your back it really does mean something. But I don't try to read too much into it. I'm not one to read my newspaper clippings, as my dad would say.
"But I've truly been working hard this summer, and feel confident about this season."
Butt's biggest games have come against Ohio State. He caught five passes for 85 yards and a dramatic, fourth-quarter touchdown as a freshman, and grabbed four passes for 25 yards and a game-tying touchdown as a sophomore.
"That game's personal," said Butt, who played at Pickerington (Ohio) North just outside Columbus. "I'm from their backyard, and they didn't recruit me, didn't offer me. So, they're always going to get my best shot.
"But a big difference there is the opportunities during those games. In some of the games, I wouldn't get targeted. But against Ohio State, for whatever reasons, I got more balls. And I made the most out of them when they did come."
Butt played basketball against men's hoops star wing player Caris LeVert of Pickerington Central.
"I had to guard him a few times," said Butt. "It didn't go too well. He's a really good player. He went up to dunk on me one time, and I under cut him. And I don't know if he still holds that personal, but we're cool now."
They've become friends at Michigan, where both also became players to watch.
Morris, who is battling for the starting quarterback spot, said he'll definitely be looking for Butt when a play has to be made.
"A tight end on third down is crucial," said Morris. "I know he's going to make a play when I need him to. It's going to be a good year with him."
