The Wolverine

December 2015 Issue

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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W ith 11 catches for 184 yards and a touchdown in Michi- gan's wins over Rutgers and Indi- ana, junior tight end Jake Butt is on the brink of becoming the fifth tight end in school history with 80 receptions (he had 79 through Nov. 14) and the third tight end with 1,000 yards receiving (he had 946). If Butt returns for his senior year, he could challenge the top marks in both categories, held by Jim Mandich (119 receptions and 1,508 yards from 1967-69). Michigan officially lists Jack Clancy (1963-66), Lowell Perry (1950-52) and Dick Rifenburg (1946-48) among its tight ends, but the term "tight" end did not begin until Mandich in the 1967 season. The ends prior to Mandich more closely resembled today's wide receivers, according to famed U-M historian Bob Rosiek, who argues for 1967 to be the demarcation line in reference to tight ends. Additionally, the Wolverines rank Devin Funchess' 2013 season third for single-season receptions (49 grabs) and first for yards (748). However, Funchess played wide receiver over U-M's final nine games that season, catching only eight balls for 145 yards at tight end before the transition. In 10 games this season, the 6-6, 250-pound Butt made 38 grabs for   MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Jake Butt Is Climbing Up Tight End Charts Butt ranked second on the team with 38 recep- tions for 500 yards through 10 games. He is quickly approaching 1,000 receiving yards in his career. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN

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