Tag: Jake Butt

Michigan 51, Central Florida 14

(image via PCH)

Wilton Speight is the real deal? I still don’t know. Speight went 25/37 for 312 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions while taking 2 sacks. He spent much of the day hitting crossing routes or checkdowns; his deep balls included a couple misses, a 35-yard gainer to Jehu Chesson, and a touchdown to Amara Darboh. Central Florida got more of a pass rush than they should have and made things tough at times. Perhaps Speight’s best play of the day was when he was in the hands of a blitzing UCF safety, but the 6’6″, 243 lb. QB spun around to find wide-open fullback Henry Poggi in the flat, who then rumbled through a couple tackles for an 8-yard gain. Speight was also more efficient than the numbers suggest, because normally sure-handed tight end Jake Butt dropped a couple passes. It was a very good day for Speight, but I thought Jedd Fisch’s passing game created some nice windows to throw the ball.

Hit the jump for more thoughts on Michigan vs. Central Florida.

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2016 Season Countdown: #6 Jake Butt

Jake Butt (image via Michigan Daily)

Name: Jake Butt
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 250 lbs.
High school: Pickerington (OH) North
Position: Tight end
Class: Senior
Jersey number: #88
Last year: I ranked Butt #2 and said he would be the starting tight end with 40 catches for 550 yards and 6 touchdowns (LINK). He caught 51 passes for 654 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Butt was a sure bet to have a very good year in 2015, not only because of his prodigious talent, but because of a coach that values tight ends. While the season started off with a disappointing loss to Utah, it also included a spectacular Butt touchdown catch where he outjumped three defenders. He finished with 8 catches for 93 yards and that 1 touchdown. He broke the 80-yard mark twice more, against Rutgers and Indiana, and had a career-long 56-yard touchdown catch against the Scarlet Knights. He won Big Ten Tight End of the Year after outpacing other tight ends by 16 receptions and 226 yards. And he was a First Team All-American, although he lost the John Mackey Award to Hunter Henry of Arkansas (51 catches, 739 yards, 3 touchdowns).

This year I expect more of the same from Butt. He will be helping to break in a new quarterback, but he went through that in 2015 with Jake Rudock. In this year’s case, the new quarterback will be a guy he’s been practicing with for at least a year. Butt is a pre-season All-American and a captain for Michigan’s offense. His value diminishes slightly because of the additional depth and talent at the position. Even though blocking tight end A.J. Williams graduated, up-and-comers like Tyrone Wheatley, Jr., Ian Bunting, Devin Asiasi, Zach Gentry, and others can play ball, too. It’s perhaps the deepest position group on the team, which is why one could perhaps make the argument that a captain and All-American should be rated even lower than the #6 most important player on the squad. All that aside, though, it should be fun to watch Butt’s continued maturation in a tight end-friendly offense.

Prediction: Starting tight end; 50 catches, 700 yards, 5 touchdowns

Ford Field Open Practice: Offense, Injuries, Walk-ons

Wilton Speight

Happy Easter Sunday, everybody! Along with a few thousand other fans, I made my way to Ford Field on Saturday. I sat in the stands, ate a hot dog, and watched Captain Khaki run practice. I chose not to live tweet it because, well, it was nice to sit back, relax, and watch a well run practice. Below are my thoughts on some roster news and the various positions:

ROSTER NEWS

• WR/CB Freddy Canteen is not on the roster and his status is unclear.
• WR Jehu Chesson was doing work on the sideline and on the bike, wearing a brace on his knee.
• RB Kingston Davis was in shorts without a helmet and running steps. Lots and lots of steps.
• OG David Dawson was wearing a sling on his left arm and did not participate.
• CB Reon Dawson and WR Jaron Dukes have left the football program and are exploring medical scholarships.
• DT Ryan Glasgow was in shorts and a helmet going through some non-contact drills, but then ran steps with Davis for a big chunk of practice.
• RB Karan Higdon was in street clothes. No injury was apparent.
• DE Shelton Johnson was not visible to me. I looked for him extensively and never saw him. Sam Webb tweeted that he was on the sideline in street clothes.

Hit the jump for a position-by-position breakdown of the offense.

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Ford Field Open Practice: Offense, Injuries, Walk-ons

Wilton Speight

Happy Easter Sunday, everybody! Along with a few thousand other fans, I made my way to Ford Field on Saturday. I sat in the stands, ate a hot dog, and watched Captain Khaki run practice. I chose not to live tweet it because, well, it was nice to sit back, relax, and watch a well run practice. Below are my thoughts on some roster news and the various positions:

ROSTER NEWS

• WR/CB Freddy Canteen is not on the roster and his status is unclear.
• WR Jehu Chesson was doing work on the sideline and on the bike, wearing a brace on his knee.
• RB Kingston Davis was in shorts without a helmet and running steps. Lots and lots of steps.
• OG David Dawson was wearing a sling on his left arm and did not participate.
• CB Reon Dawson and WR Jaron Dukes have left the football program and are exploring medical scholarships.
• DT Ryan Glasgow was in shorts and a helmet going through some non-contact drills, but then ran steps with Davis for a big chunk of practice.
• RB Karan Higdon was in street clothes. No injury was apparent.
• DE Shelton Johnson was not visible to me. I looked for him extensively and never saw him. Sam Webb tweeted that he was on the sideline in street clothes.

Hit the jump for a position-by-position breakdown of the offense.

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Poll results: Who was Michigan’s 2015 MVP?

Zach Gentry, Shane Morris, and Jake Rudock

Several weeks ago, I posted a poll asking, Who was the MVP of Michigan’s 2015 season? Here were the results of the poll:

QB Jake Rudock: 77%

WR Jehu Chesson: 9%

CB Jourdan Lewis: 9%

S Jabrill Peppers: 2%

TE Jake Butt: 1%

Other: 1%

DL Willie Henry: 1%

DL Chris Wormley: 1%

(Yes, I realize that because of rounding, the percentages add up to 101%.)

My vote went to Jake Rudock, who struggled early but played extremely well during the second half of the season. With any other quarterback on the roster leading the team, Michigan wouldn’t have approached 10 wins, in my opinion. I don’t know if the same can be said about any other individual player.

What’s your argument for your pick?