Alex Roux, BTN.com editor, December 8, 2016

Michigan tight end Jake Butt and Ohio State center Pat Elflein have come a long way from Pickerington North High School in Pickerington, Ohio.

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Their close friendship on and off the football field at Pickerington has been well-documented since the duo became rivals on opposite sides of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry. Now, Butt and Elflein have both been officially recognized as the best players at their respective positions in all of college football as they received national honors Thursday in Atlanta.

Butt received the John Mackey Award Thursday, which recognizes the nation's most outstanding tight end. Butt hauled in 43 receptions for 518 yards and four touchdowns in his senior season with the Wolverines.

 

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Elflein was awarded the Rimington Trophy Thursday as the nation's most outstanding center. The senior lineman has started 40 consecutive games for the Buckeyes, who averaged 258.3 rushing yards per game in 2016 — good for ninth-best nationally.

 

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They were also both named Walter Camp First-Team All-Americans. It was definitely a special evening for at the Home Depot College Football Awards in Atlanta for Butt and Elflein, who got to add another chapter to their storied friendship.

Pickerington should be proud.