Senior tight end Jake Butt has been named to the 2016 Mackey Award watch list. The award is presented to College Football’s Most Outstanding Tight End.
The Mackey Award was first awarded to Tim Stratton of Purdue in 2000. Last season, Hunter Henry of Arkansas took home the prestigious honor. Notable players to win the award are Heath Miller, Marcedes Lewis, Aaron Hernandez, Dwayne Allen, and Tyler Eifert. Michigan has never had a player win the trophy.
Along with Butt, Cethan Carter (Nebraska), Mike Gesicki (Penn State), George Kittle (Iowa), Brandon Lingen (Minnesota), and Josiah Price (Michigan State) were the six players from the Big Ten Conference added to the watch list.
Butt had a breakout season in Ann Arbor during 2015 and passed on the 2016 NFL Draft to return for his senior season with the Wolverines. He caught 51 passes for 654 yards and three touchdowns in the 2015 season. Butt was named the Big Ten Conference Tight End of the Year.
The winner will be announced on December 7.
2016 John Mackey Award watch list
Jeb Blazevich, Georgia
Pharaoh Brown, Oregon
Barrett Burns, Appalachian State
Jake Butt, Michigan
Cethan Carter, Nebraska
Connor Cella, Rice
C.J. Conrad, Kentucky
Buck Cowan, Idaho
Darrell Daniels, Washington
Elkanah Dillon, USF
D.J. Dowdy, Cincinnati
Evan Engram, Ole Miss
Gerald Everett, South Alabama
Billy Freeman, San Jose State
Mike Gesicki, Penn State
Jarred Gipson, Nevada
DeAndre Goolsby, Florida
Cole Hikutini, Louisville
Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech
Wyatt Houston, Utah State
O.J. Howard, Alabama
Ryan Izzo, Florida State
Blake Jarwin, Oklahoma State
Ben Johnson, Kansas
Alize Jones, Notre Dame
George Kittle, Iowa
Kody Kohl, Arizona State
Jordan Leggett, Clemson
Brandon Lingen, Minnesota
Troy Mangen, Ohio
Hayden Plinke, UTEP
Josiah Price, Michigan State
Michael Roberts, Toledo
Jake Roh, Boise State
Keith Rucker, Georgia State
Mason Schreck, Buffalo
Dalton Schultz, Stanford
Cam Serigne, Wake Forest
Jonnu Smith, Florida International
Jeremy Sprinkle, Arkansas
Todd Stafford, Massachusetts
Colin Thompson, Temple
Cody Tuttle, Eastern Michigan
Ethan Wolf, Tennessee
Ryan Yurachek, Marshall