One of the best players in college football is named Jake Butt. His position: tight end.Well pause here for your jokes. Just understand that the Michigan senior has heard them all before.Even Jimmy Fallon and his Tonight Show writers have made their wisecracks over his name. Last December, after Butt claimed the Big Ten tight end of the year award, Fallon dedicated a full minute of his opening monologue to some rapid-fire, bottom-shelf humor.Other tight ends are mad, but they dont want to make a big stink about it, Fallon deadpanned. Butt would brag, but he doesnt want to toot his own horn.So go ahead. Be cheeky. You wont be laughing at the Wolverines All-American. Youll be laughing with him.This is a guy whose Twitter handle is @JBooty_88. He once changed his avatar to spoof a meme about Kim Kardashian, owner of the worlds most famous posterior. Rather than get upset about Fallons digs, he retweeted them.Butt is more than just OK with all the fun people have with his surname. Hes fully behind it.I love it so much, he said. I think thats one of my greatest traits. It has really allowed me to grow my platform and build my brand.His sprawling family loves the Butt brand, too. Theyre easy to spot at any Michigan game. As many as 50 of them tailgate together while wearing versions of Jakes jersey, sporting his perfectly rounded No. 88 along with a fanny pack full of puns.His father, Rob, goes with either Head Butt or Papa Butt. Other family members wear jerseys such as I Like Big Butt, Nice Butt and Kick Butt. One of Jakes aunts, Theresa, added an apostrophe to her name to make her jersey read Theres a Butt.We taught our kids at an early age to just have fun with it, Rob Butt said. The whole family, we just enjoy the silliness of it.The silliness wouldnt amount to much if Butt were merely an average player, one only Sir Mix-A-Lot could love. The reverse, however, is true. Butt is arguably the best tight end in America, a key component of Michigans College Football Playoff hopes and a future high NFL draft pick.And its all because he works his tail off.Butt keeps turning heads at MichiganJake Butt always had great athletic genes in his back pocket. His grandfather, Bob Lally, never lost a game as an offensive lineman in high school or on Frank Leahys Notre Dame teams in the 1940s. His dad played rugby at Cincinnati. Jakes first word: Ball.I wish it had been Mom or Dad, Rob Butt said.Jake starred in youth soccer until his dad, seeing that Jake was sprouting toward his current 6-foot-6 frame, nudged him toward football in the sixth grade. Reluctant at first to give up his dreams of being an MLS midfielder, Butt nonetheless gave football everything he had. When he found out that kids had to be under 125 pounds to touch the ball, he spent his summer vacation running and cutting weight so he could play tight end.Soccer had helped him develop great footwork. His size made him a prototype tight end. Work ethic did the rest.Tom Phillips has been coaching high school football for nearly 30 years. In all that time, he said, the two most competitive players he has ever had, in practice and in games, are Butt and D.J. Durkin, the former Michigan defensive coordinator and current Maryland head coach.Jake was out there to win everything, said Phillips, the head coach at Pickerington North High School in Ohio. He would easily lose 15 pounds in practices because of sweat. He was a motor, and he always wanted to be the best.Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh praises Butt as one of the most gung-ho players Ive ever been around.He can sit through a two-and-a-half hour, three-hour meeting and be on the edge of his seat, Harbaugh said last month. [Hell] walk out of that meeting with a bounce in his step and put his football gear on, the hair on the back of his neck is standing up. Whether hes going out to hit his sled or rattle somebodys fillings, hes just as excited about doing that as he is running a post route or corner route.Heres an example of Butts inner drive. In February 2014, he tore the ACL in his right knee. He promised anyone who would listen that he would be back for the Notre Dame game in Week 2 of that season. Barely six months after his surgery, he made good on that pledge.(Butt had some extra motivation. His grandfather, who died in 2008, had wanted to have his cremated ashes spread on the Notre Dame Stadium field. The school declines such requests. Jake brought a plastic baggie with some of Bob Lallys remains to South Bend and placed them on the 50-yard line before the game. True to form, the Fighting Irish won again with Lally on the field, crushing the Wolverines 31-0.)Butts intensity and skill set found their equal when the hard-charging Harbaugh took over the Wolverines -- You talk about a perfect personality match, Phillips said. Harbaugh has long been known for his creative use of tight ends, and Butts production immediately and predictably soared under his new coach. After catching 41 passes combined in his first two seasons, Butt had 51 receptions for 654 yards and three scores as a junior.Im really reaping the benefits of having him as a coach, Butt said. The main thing he does is push me as a player, not just to catch passes but to be a complete tight end.Fans like Jake Butt and they cannot lieThat Butt even ended up at Michigan is mildly surprising. His family was full of diehard Ohio State fans. Rob Butt even threatened to wear his Buckeyes gear at the Big House during Jakes recruiting visit during the night game versus Notre Dame in 2011.That epic victory over the Irish -- U-M scored with 2 seconds left to win 35-31 in the first prime-time game at Michigan Stadium -- and the atmosphere made a huge impression on Butt, who found himself rooting for the Wolverines against Ohio State later that season. Michigan won, and the Buckeyes never even offered Butt a scholarship.Even if Ohio State would have come around with an offer, Rob Butt says now, he wouldnt have changed his mind.Now its hard to picture him anywhere else, and Butt has developed into something akin to a folk hero in Ann Arbor. Fans make unofficial T-shirts honoring him. At a game last year, Rob Butt sat behind some students who grabbed the rump of those to either side of them whenever Jake caught a pass.They like Jake Butt, and they cannot lie.Jake hasnt always found mirth in being the Butt of jokes. In the third grade, he fought another kid whod poked fun at him.Back in my elementary school days, he said, any little thing hurt to hear.In the first month of his freshman season at Michigan, he couldnt believe how many people asked him on Twitter if he realized the connection between his name and his position. As if hed never thought about it. Which led to this classic tweet:That tweet caused a social media splash and helped Butt see the power of laughing at himself. Luckily, his supersized family -- his father has seven siblings, and his mother was one of 16 kids -- were blessed with wry self-awareness. Rob Butt, who after all lived through the same experiences with that last name well before Jake, offered his son this optimistic outlook: At least its a name you dont forget. It can work in your favor, if youre not embarrassed by it.Jake is most certainly in on the joke these days.I have a great last name, he said. Im proud of it. Its pretty marketable. That last name stands out a little bit.So does Jake Butt the football player. No ifs, ands or ... well, you know. Jason Grilli Jersey . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. Nolan Ryan Jersey . PAUL, Minn. http://www.officialrangersgearshop.com/Rangers-Jurickson-Profar-Kids-Jersey/ . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Custom Texas Rangers Jerseys . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Jon Niese Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Though Yankees manager Joe Girardi insists his team is going for it and is focused solely on a postseason berth, yet another sign of the franchises transition will be in evidence on Saturday, when 24-year-old right-hander Luis Cessa is scheduled to make his first major league start against the Angels.Cessna has been shuttled back and forth between New York and its Triple-A affiliate this season. His recall on Aug. 11 is his fourth stint with the Yankees and, with Nathan Eovaldis season-ending injury opening up a position in the starting rotation, Girardi will hand the ball to Cessna to keep the teams slight playoff chances on track.As a young player, youre looking to make an impression and Luis has that opportunity now, Girardi said. His ability to mix up his pitches and locate his fastball has been good.Though the game is a milestone in his progression, Cessa was relaxed when discussing his first big-league start.Im ready, I dont feel nervous, Cessa said. Its a great opportunity to show the team what I can do. I will be ready because the Angels have dangerous hitters throughout their lineup.While the Yankees are still playing games that matter, the Angels are attempting to find some consistency in their game after one of the worst stretches in franchise history plummeted them into the cellar of the AL West. With nothing more than personal achievements to play for, the Angels have been reduced to the spoiler role for their final 40 games.Ricky Nolasco will make his fourth start as an Angel trying to improve on a 1-1 record with a 5.40 ERA since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 1. Nolasco pitched well in a start against New York earlier this season with the Twins, tossing seven innings and allowing two earned runs on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Pitching for two last-place teams this season is a contributting factor in Nolascos 4-10 record but his struggles on the hill (5.dddddddddddd10 ERA, 1.352 WHIP) places his status in question despite having one year left on his $ 49 million, 4-year contract.Third baseman Yunel Escobars status for next season is the polar opposite from Nolascos. Escobar, acquired from the Washington Nationals last December, is the Angels leading hitter with a .320 average and is a lock to have the Angels exercise his $ 7 million option for the 2017 season. Despite his defensive deficiencies at the base (17 errors in 108 games), he has been a consistent offensive force in the leadoff spot. Escobar fell prey to the injury bug dogging the team this season on Friday. He fouled a ball directly off his face and cheek during a bunt attempt in the fourth inning and while X-rays were negative, Escobar may have to go on the disabled list.Yunel is as good as we have on this team at putting the ball in play at hitting it sharply. Hes having a terrific season. said Angels manager Mike Scioscia. Hes sore and we will have to make a determination on his status.Despite the Angels being on track to miss the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, Scioscia is not in jeopardy of being fired. General manager Billy Eppler addressed the managers status on Friday and expects him to return for his 18th season as the Angels bench boss. Eppler feels the injuries that plagued the team all season are a major factor in their poor performance.I have no reason to believe Mike wouldnt be here managing our team next season, Eppler told MLB.com. You have to have the horses to pull the cart. If your horses get hurt, we can only do so much.Scioscia signed a 10-year extension in January 2009 that runs through the 2018 season. Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap NFL T-shirts Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys White Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Outlet Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Hoodies Camo China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo NFL Jerseys China ' ' '