Former Michigan star says he grew up a Buckeye fan, but Ohio State had no interest

"I grew up a Buckeye fan, actually," Butt said. "My best friend growing up was a Michigan fan, and we used to fight and argue. So I always thought, you know, I was going to go to Ohio State. As scholarships start pouring in, I'm 15 minutes from Ohio State's campus... they literally showed no interest."

Butt went on to discuss how he took the initiative to try and get himself an offer from Ohio State, even though there seemed to be no interest from the Buckeyes.

"I used to knock on people's doors in high school and mow lawns. I was mowing Tim Hinton's lawn, who was the Ohio State tight ends coach. I'm still in my practice gear. Their director of recruiting was Greg Gillum. I went from kindergarten all the way through high school with his son, Tanner Gillum. He came and spoke to my class in fifth grade for career day. I wrote him a 'thank you' letter, and said, 'Dear Mr. Gillum, I now know what I want to do, I want to be a football player.'"

With no offer on the table from Ohio State, Butt says he turned his attention toward that school up north, and made the visit to Michigan.

"So they never offered me. And I took the road less traveled up to Ann Arbor. First ever game was Notre Dame vs Michigan under the lights, Denard Robinson to Roy Roundtree. I was like, 'wow, this place is freaking special, you know?'"

As it turns out, going to Michigan was a great decision for Butt. He would go on to become Michigan's all-time leader in receiving yards for a tight end (1,646) and record holder for career receptions for a tight end (136). He earned All-Big Ten first-team honors in 2016 and was named first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. He also won the John Mackey Award, which is given to the top tight end in college football.

It looked like Butt was headed toward becoming a 2nd round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, but he tore his ACL in the 2016 Orange Bowl game against Florida State, a devastating blow in his final game as a Wolverine. He would end up slipping to the 5th round before being selected by the Denver Broncos. And although talented, his NFL career never quite took off. Shortly after signing a contract with the Chicago Bears in 2021, Butt announced he was retiring from the NFL.