This week, The Wolverine is counting down the five best Michigan football players for the five years of Jim Harbaugh's tenure, as decided upon by our staff.
We start off with No. 5, tight end Jake Butt, who suited up for the Wolverines from 2013-2016.
The Pickerington, Ohio, native is one of many Wolverines throughout history to make a significant impact for the Maize and Blue while coming from the state just to the south.
He made an immediate impact as a freshman playing under head coach Brady Hoke, starting in eight games and appearing in all 13. He recorded 20 receptions for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
His breakout performance came in an instant classic 42-41 setback to the Ohio State Buckeyes, where Butt made five catches for 85 yards, including a game-tying touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter.
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In the offseason before his sophomore season, Butt suffered the first of several setbacks due to injury in his college and pro career, when he tore his ACL in winter workouts. The injury forced him to miss one game to start the season, before he returned for the club's outing against rival Notre Dame.
For the season, Butt notched 21 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns, playing in 10 games with five starts.
His junior campaign in 2015 was the one that put Butt on the map as one of the nation's best at his position, thriving under the tutelage of Harbaugh and becoming a focal point of Michigan's offense. He was the team's third-leading receiver with 51 receptions for 654 yards and three touchdowns on the year. Helping lead Michigan to a 10-3 season with a Citrus Bowl victory over Florida, Butt was named the Big Ten's tight end of the year, a first-team all-conference performer and the Ozzie Newsome Tight End of the Year, an award given out to the country's best at the spot.
Butt's senior season was more of the same, again being one of Michigan's top receiving targets while also blocking at a high level. He was the Wolverines' second-leading receiver in catches, yards and scores, posting 46 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns.
The team captain earned All-America honors while leading the team to another 10-3 season, and was once again the conference's top tight end and a first-team All-Big Ten standout, while also receiving the John Mackey Award, the country's premiere tight end award.
He unfortunately suffered another knee injury in the Orange Bowl, a tight loss to the Florida State Seminoles. That forced his draft stock to fall, and he was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
Butt left Michigan as the program's record-holder for most receptions (138) and yards (1,646) by a tight end.
Butt missed the 2017 season, still recovering from injury. He made his professional debut in 2018 and played three games, before tearing his ACL again. He has not played since, though he remains a member of the Broncos and is now healthy ahead of the 2020 campaign.
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