Report: Michigan TE Jake Butt tore his ACL in Orange Bowl

There was hope when Jake Butt ran to the locker room after suffering a leg injury on Friday night in the Orange Bowl, that it wouldn’t be serious.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it was indeed serious.

Schefter reported that the Michigan tight end tore his anterior cruciate ligament and will require surgery:

Michigan TE Jake Butt tore his ACL during Friday night’s Orange Bowl loss and will need to undergo surgery, per source close to school.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2017

Butt was tangled up with two Florida State defenders after a catch and run.

That’s the worst-case scenario for a guy who could’ve been the top tight end selected in the 2017 NFL draft. A torn ACL would rule Butt out for all of the pre-draft evaluation period.

Butt would’ve likely been one of the top tight ends selected in the 2016 NFL draft, but he elected to return to Michigan for his senior year. He earned the Mackey Award for the nation’s top tight end and he was also the winner of the Senior CLASS Award.

Michigan has yet to confirm this report.