ORLANDO — Michigan tight end Jake Butt brings a dynamic to the Wolverines’ offense that the Florida defense hasn’t seen much this season.
The 6-foot-6, 248-pound tight end is quarterback Jake Rudock’s safety blanket, and he has helped transform an offense that was ranked 115th in the country in total offense in 2014 to 72nd in 2015.
Butt has also taken his game to another level under coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Tim Drevno. After having 41 receptions for 446 yards and four touchdowns in his first two seasons combined at Michigan, the junior tight end has broken out this season and has 48 receptions for 620 yards and three touchdowns.
He ranks third nationally among tight ends in receiving yards, behind Arkansas Hunter Henry (647) and Buffalo’s Matt Weiser (625).
“Best tight end we played all year,” Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor said Monday of Butt. “He’s a really good player, can catch, can catch with his body in traffic, in the red zone, do it all at tight end for them.”
Butt parlayed his big season into some of the top awards in college football. The Pickerington, Ohio, native was named the B1G 10 Tight End of the Year and earned a spot on the First-Team All-Big 10 team. He was also named a second-team AP All-American and a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end.
However, with all of those accolades Butt has, he’ll face a Florida defense that has done a great job this year neutralizing tight ends.
The Gators have only given up 34 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns this season, with only East Carolina’s Bryce Williams — nine receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown — doing the most damage.
UF defensive coordinator Geoff Collins said Butt reminds him of a tight end he and the defense goes up against in practice everyday: Jake McGee. Both McGee and Butt are listed at 6-foot-6 with McGee having a one pound edge on the Michigan tight end.
And while UF have done a great job against tight ends, Butt has the ability to stretch the field and make the Gators pay if they allow him to make plays against Florida’s linebackers.
“The kid's a great player. (He) creates a kind of a matchup issue,” Collins said. “Is he too big for a safety to play on him? Is he too fast for certain linebackers to play on him? So you have to make decisions against a kid like that.”
Butt’s locker room presence has had a profound impact on the Wolverines as well. Wide receiver Jehu Chesson said Butt is one of the players who keeps the others in check. Whether it’s making sure his teammates are on their best behavior off the field, or making sure they know their jobs on it, Butt’s influence on Michigan can’t be understated.
“The kid's enthusiasm for the game is unknown to any other player,” Chesson said. “He always polices the locker room. And so when Jake Butt's out there, it's really reassuring because he's a threat on the line. … And reassuring for me too because when I go out there, if I need something corrected or I need help doing something, Jake's always there to help me out.”
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The University of Michigan football team beats Minnesota, 29-26, at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Oct. 31, 2015.
