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Jake Butt Injury Update: Michigan TE Reportedly Tore ACL in Orange Bowl
January 1, 2017
Michigan tight end Jake Butt left the Wolverines' 33-32 Orange Bowl loss to the Florida State Seminoles on Friday early with a knee injury, and it was reported Saturday that he suffered a torn ACL.
ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed the nature of Butt's injury based on information provided by a source close to the school.
Butt is regarded as one of the top tight ends in the 2017 NFL draft class—along with Alabama's O.J. Howard—and was considered a potential first-round pick or Day 2 selection at the least.
It is unclear how the injury will impact his stock, but ESPN's Darren Rovell tweeted that Butt has an insurance policy that will kick in if he falls significantly:
Butt's injury came after LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey sat out bowl games for their respective teams to avoid injury and prepare for the draft.
That led some to publicly criticize them, but Florida Gators quarterback Luke Del Rio scolded those who did and used Butt's injury as an example:
Butt finished the 2016 season with 46 receptions for 546 yards and a career-high four touchdowns.
Michigan linebacker/safety Jabrill Peppers was held out of the Orange Bowl after tweaking his hamstring in practice, per ESPN.com's Dan Murphy.
Following the game, Butt expressed no regret about playing despite the impact it could potentially have on his draft status:
Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith was considered a likely top-five selection in the 2016 draft, but a knee injury that occurred during his team's bowl game resulted in the Dallas Cowboys nabbing him near the top of the second round with pick No. 34.
Like Smith, Butt will still have an opportunity to earn a big NFL contract if he can bounce back from the injury and live up to his potential. However, playing in the Orange Bowl may have cost him millions to start his NFL career.
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