It takes very little to set off Michigan football fans, especially when a former star player brings up the word asterisk regarding their 2023 national championship. Former Wolverines tight end Jake Butt, now a Big Ten Network analyst, found himself facing heavy backlash from the Maize and Blue faithful after making blunt comments about the program’s post-Jim Harbaugh slump.
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Jim Harbaugh left Michigan in January 2024 to coach the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers right after winning the national title. The outrage started when Butt appeared on Buckeye Scoop, a podcast dedicated to Michigan’s primary rival, Ohio State, to break down the team’s new era under Kyle Whittingham. Butt pointed out how quickly the program fell back to Earth after reaching the top. For a fanbase still riding high from their 2023 title, his venue choice and tone felt like betrayal.
“Two decades for Jim to get them back to back to back to back Big Ten champs in a national title, but even that has an asterisk on it,” Butt originally stated. “And then pretty much immediately, Michigan is back to being a punching bag, and I think it’s very disappointing for people. Certainly disappointing for me as I talk about my alma mater here, because no way should a fifty-million-dollar roster look like this on the field. I realize it was that expensive.”
That asterisk label comes from rival fanbases pointing to the NCAA sign-stealing investigation surrounding Michigan during their 2023 title run. Opposing fans use it to discredit the championship, making it a very sensitive nerve for anyone who bleeds maize and blue.
Unsurprisingly, Butt’s mention of a fifty-million-dollar roster and an asterisk on the 2023 championship sent shockwaves through the Michigan fanbase. Supporters immediately flooded social media to rip into the former Mackey Award winner, with some accusing him of turning his back on the program or hunting for clicks. The reaction grew so intense that Butt felt compelled to defend his loyalty and clear up what he actually meant.
Fans were not throwing away their memories of Jake Butt as a player. Instead, they felt hurt that a beloved former captain would validate rival talking points on an opponent’s podcast. The anger was strictly about his current media take, not his legendary status in Ann Arbor. Taking to his X account, Butt expressed his frustration over having to explain himself to his own people.
“Man, I really hate defending myself on here bc there’s really no point,” Butt posted. “This entire point was about program perception and public discourse. The asterisk convo is how other teams discuss those years. You can check me on record how I feel about that (hint: I’ve never wavered that those championships were genuine and earned).”
Butt framed the conversation as about public discourse and program perception, something he believed most reasonable fans would understand.
The former tight end also used his post to clean up some of the inflated numbers he threw out during the broadcast, adjusting the roster’s NIL value down to still 39 million dollars instead of 50 million he said on that episode.
Butt pointed out that with that type of heavy financial backing comes historic expectations, regardless.
And for a powerhouse like Michigan, falling short of those expectations amplifies the sting; apparently he knows firsthand how deeply that hurts both the players and the community.
“I know how much it hurts to fall short of those,” Butt said.
Reminding fans that he isn’t just an outsider talking trash, Butt threw it back to his own playing days in Ann Arbor when things weren’t so sunny. He recalled the team getting openly booed in their own stadium during the rough 2013 and 2014 seasons, calling the experience something that absolutely sucked.
However, he noted that they used that pain to work harder and make the changes necessary to rebuild Michigan back into a nationally respected competitor.
Butt expressed deep disappointment that anyone would question his loyalty to Michigan just because of his media role. He wrapped up his thoughts by emotionally reminding everyone that he literally gave his body for the team.
“Right now, that isn’t where the team is,” Butt concluded. “I figured this would be easy and clear to understand. Never thought I’d see people question where I stand with the team as a whole outside of my work. Literally gave my body for the team as a player.”
With Michigan currently fighting through a tough transitional year, this situation proves just how high the stakes and emotion remain for everyone invested in Wolverine football.