Michigan Wolverines

Tight end looks right at home in new Michigan offense

Published Sep. 9, 2015 6:09 p.m. ET

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After Jake Butt was a bright spot for Michigan in the Wolverines' season-opening loss to Utah, it came as little surprise to hear him say he likes new coach Jim Harbaugh's pro-style offense.

"It was like Christmas morning when I heard he was going to be our coach and I would be getting some targets this fall, but I think this offense is really like an NFL offense," Butt said during the Inside Michigan Football radio show via the Detroit News. "We might be calling two or three plays in the huddle at a time and it's like an NFL offense. Every time we break the huddle we have the advantage over the defense."

Those advantages were not always apparent against the Utes as the Wolverines struggled to run the ball, but it was easy to see how Butt fits into Harbaugh's scheme, which was well-known for using multiple tight ends during his time at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers.

"You love catching passes, you love catching touchdowns, that's all good and well, but you've got to get down and do some dirty work, too, put your hand in the dirt," Butt said. "That's the great part of being a tight end, you get the best of both worlds — you can flex out as a receiver, you can have your hand in the dirt blocking, you may wind up in the backfield as a fullback sometimes. You get to do it all."

(H/T Detroit News)