Tag: Colston Loveland

Colston Loveland still confident that Michigan football offense can take off

Let’s hope so. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football never had a high-flying offense in the Jim Harbaugh era, and with Sherrone Moore taking over this year, the expectation wasn’t that it would suddenly, but that it would be a continuation of what came before him.

However, that’s not what’s happened. In fact, it’s gone in reverse.

The Wolverines won a national championship in 2023 with the 69th-ranked total offense out of 134 teams — exactly middling while relying on a national best defense. But in 2024, Michigan’s offensive attack ranks 130th out of the 134 teams in college football.

It hasn’t looked good on Main Street but star tight end Colston Loveland still has faith that what they see on State Street can come to fruition sometime in the next two games.

“Obviously, a lot of stuff hasn’t gone the way we wanted to,” Loveland said. “Just need two more guaranteed games to go out there and just put it on tape. I feel like we can as an offense, we got the ability to kind of — I sound like a broken record, but we got the potential. And potential doesn’t mean anything if you can’t go do it.

“But just really focused on going out there, putting really good tape on on film as an offense, working together. Rush game, run game, hitting, pass game hitting. Kind of just need that. Need everything to click. So this bye will be good. Get another week of preparation on Northwestern, go attack it.”

While seeing is believing and Loveland has seen what the offense can be behind the scenes, faith without works is dead.

Still, given the trust that the players have in each other and the work they put in, they’re confident that at some point in the next two games — hosting Northwestern or at Ohio State — these Wolverines will get the offensive payoff they’ve been waiting for and working toward.

“Trusting the process, really,” Loveland said. “We’re so close in here in the building, so I know, and all the guys know, we could really be something. We work our tail off. We’re in here watching film all the time, studying the game plan. So we’re putting in the time. It’s just kind of waiting on it. And I feel like that’s kind of the beauty of it too. Obviously, you want everything to hit right away. But like, once it does click, and once we do get going, it’s gonna be weight off the shoulders, for sure. But man, because we knew we could do this, but like I said, just got to go out there and do it first.”

Colston Loveland scoffs at idea he could shut down his season to prepare for the NFL

A true #Michigan man. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — In the past decade, it’s become much more commonplace that star players who are expected to be high-end NFL draft picks will shut down their season to avoid injury and start the preparation process for the professional ranks.

What once used to be limited to meaningless bowl games has seen players opt out of even College Football Playoff appearances and it’s increasingly inching into the regular season.

With Michigan football struggling in 2024, sitting at 5-5, why wouldn’t players like Colston Loveland, Will Johnson, Mason Graham, and Kenneth Grant risk injury? They could just as easily protect themselves and ensure that the millions they stand to make from being likely first-round draft picks will end up in their bank accounts. But that’s not how Loveland sees it.

As long as he physically can do so this year, he’s going to strap on the winged helmet and give it a go.

“I mean, we’re gonna play, as long as we’re healthy and feel good, we’re gonna play,” Loveland said. “Michigan’s done so much for us — all of our boys, our brothers, our family, our coaches, they’re all still coaching and playing. So why wouldn’t we play? We got goals to reach as a team and individually as well. So as long as I’m healthy, yeah, I’m playing.”

Of course, there are cautionary tales, and one coming from a legendary former Michigan tight end who sustained an ACL injury in a bowl game.

It was the 2016 Capital One Orange Bowl, and after telling the world he would play in his final possible appearance in a Michigan uniform, tight end Jake Butt sustained a knee injury that knocked him from the first round of the 2017 NFL draft all the way to the fifth.

Regardless, Loveland is going to chance it, and it appears as if that’s the mindset of his fellow junior class who will all likely depart for the NFL following the season.

“I could see both sides, maybe if you had an injury or something,” Loveland said. “But I feel like, for me and a lot of the guys here, if you’re healthy and you can go out there and play — we love the game of football. We’ve been blessed by God to be able to play this game. (Our) families just sacrifice so much. So why wouldn’t we play? It’s kind of where my head’s at.”

Of the aforementioned players, only Will Johnson hasn’t appeared in recent games. Dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury, Johnson left in the first half of the Illinois game in Week 8 and hasn’t been seen since. However, head coach Sherrone Moore has stated that Johnson is attempting to get back and will likely play in another game this season.

Loveland did note that his mentality to play did not necessarily mean he’d suit up for a bowl game, should Michigan make one.

Bengals gamble, get Joe Burrow help in 2025 NFL mock draft

The Bengals ignore the defense and get Joe Burrow another weapon.

The Cincinnati Bengals remain in the playoff hunt despite the miserable record and falling short of expectations.

But that doesn’t mean fans can’t glance at 2025 NFL mock drafts yet.

In that realm of NFL coverage, they will find plenty of mocks that get the defense some help, whether it’s along the struggling line or in the secondary.

But a select few go ahead and give Joe Burrow another weapon, too.

Take, for instance, a new mock from The Draft Network’s Keith Sanchez, who has the Bengals grabbing Michigan tight end Colston Loveland:

Since Joe Burrow became the quarterback of the Bengals, the tight end position has been a revolving door. This year, the Bengals take a swing at finding a player who could be their long-term solution at tight end in Michigan’s Colston Loveland. Loveland has high-level athletic traits that make him a mismatch for both linebackers and safeties. As the Bengals figure out which superstar receivers they’re going to pay, they draft a high-end tight end to help solidify the offense and clear up the picture.

Quietly, tight end is a bigger need than it gets credit for right now in Cincinnati now that rookie Erick All Jr. has suffered another injury. Veteran Mike Gesicki is on a one-year deal, too.

A 6’5″ weapon like Loveland would certainly help the offense and life after Tee Higgins could prove to be rough, should it happen. But this type of pick would prevent the defense from getting some much-needed help, too.

If nothing else, though, it’s one scenario to keep an eye on from here.

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Oregon vs. Michigan in-person scouting summary

2025 NFL Draft prospects from Oregon vs. Michigan in-person scouting summary

Oregon traveled to Michigan to face the Wolverines as a member of the Big Ten for the first time. The top-ranked Ducks proved worthy of the lofty ranking, sending the partisan crowd to the exits early in a 38-17 road win.

I was among those in the stands at the Big House, though I stayed until the end of this one. Unlike most games where I’m holed up in the press box, I watched this one from the fan section, behind the Oregon sideline on a sunny late afternoon that quickly faded into a chilly final evening of Daylight Saving Time.

Here’s what I took away from some of the 2025 NFL Draft prospects in the game.

Derrick Harmon

Harmon stood out from the very first Oregon defensive snap. The Ducks DT artfully dodged a (poorly executed) block and crashed into the backfield for an emphatic TFL. It was the first of several impressively disruptive plays the Michigan State transfer made on the day.

Harmon’s ability to strafe laterally and stay disengaged from blocking was devastating to the Michigan run offense. Harmon has quick eyes and quicker feet for his size, but he also flashed some real power and finishing acumen. His ability to find consistent success while lining up on either shoulder of the guards showed some positional versatility along the defensive interior that sure looks like it will translate to the next level quite well.

It was also impressive to watch him on the sidelines. Even though he’s new to the program, Harmon was quite enthusiastic in exhorting his Ducks teammates to not let up once the game started to get out of hand in their favor in the second half.

Mason Graham

Graham had a quiet day as a pass rusher, but at least some of that is attributable to how quickly Oregon throws the ball. The interior defensive line doesn’t have enough time to really impact all the quick swings and screens, and that was true of Graham in this game. He did, however, show some very nice stack-and-steer work at DT on inside runs.

The ability to get off a block with his powerful shoulders and then contribute to the tackle proved why he’s a legit NFL talent, though this was the second Michigan game I’ve been to this year (USC the other) where I was underwhelmed with his initial burst; he can do power or quick, but they don’t marry as well as other recent top DT prospects–or like Harmon on the Oregon side of the ball showed in this game.

Evan Stewart

Stewart’s best play of the game didn’t even count. The Oregon wideout made a spectacular one-handed stab in the end zone at full vertical extension and managed to contort himself so that he landed with one foot down for a would-be touchdown. Alas, it was wiped out by a penalty on Oregon. It was every bit as awesome as the Odell Beckham Jr. snag a few years back.

Even though that one didn’t count, seeing how dynamic Stewart was able to slice and dice the Michigan secondary over the middle and up the seams was impressive. He’s got a very good pacing to his route-running, and Stewart proved he’s got great hands, too. The Texas A&M transfer got a few looks in the slot, and that’s where I think his NFL future lies–even though he’s got the field-stretching speed on the outside. He played with more physicality than I expected for a 175-pound receiver, though it wasn’t always effective physicality.

Colston Loveland

Loveland was the best Michigan player on the field and basically the only effective offensive player for nearly the entire game. The polish on his receiving traits–routes, releases, hands, strength in traffic, transition from receiver to runner–was fantastic in this one. Oregon’s defense knew he was getting the ball and they still couldn’t stop him.

This game reaffirmed that Loveland is not an NFL-caliber inline blocker and it will take considerable work to get him to be even a passable blocking presence. But for teams looking for a multi-level receiving threat at tight end, Loveland proved in this one he’s best-in-class. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder even showed ability aligning as the wide receiver in this one. Very impressive game from Loveland.

Dillon Gabriel

The well-traveled Ducks quarterback stood out for three primary things:

  • He’s visibly smaller in person; both the 6-0 and especially the 200 pounds he’s listed at seem quite generous.
  • The lefty has a lightning-quick release and the ball comes out with impressive exit velocity,
  • Gabriel is very good at mistake avoidance, making the best decision with the ball almost every time.

Gabriel has decent pocket mobility and proved on his touchdown scamper he can chew up yards quickly with his legs, too. His downfield arm strength was visibly lacking, however; he had two deeper throws that hung up in the air too long. Even in the warmups on the sideline, it was clear the zip doesn’t last long on his throws.

Kalel Mullings

Michigan’s sledgehammer of a running back had a very rough afternoon against the quickness of Oregon’s defense. Mullings lacks great vision and there is almost no lateral agility to his game. He’s still learning how to play running back, so there is upside for a 233-pound rolling sack of hammers, but he’s still quite green at the nuances of playing running back. Oregon was very effective at not letting him get north-south right away and negating his power. The first Duck to hit him got him down almost every time.

Will Johnson

The standout Michigan cornerback did not play. He’s still recovering from a foot injury suffered early in Michigan’s loss to Illinois on October 19th. Johnson has also missed time in 2024 with a shoulder injury suffered in the Wolverines’ win over USC.

 

 

How the postgame fight between Michigan and MSU started and Sherrone Moore’s reaction

Here is how the fight began, if you didn’t know. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — For the first time in a few years, there didn’t seem to be many shenanigans in the Michigan-MSU football game, and both teams seemed rather well-behaved.

Michigan State had one targeting penalty and that player was ejected, but there weren’t the usual multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and the game was mostly clean.

That was similar to the last time the rivals played at Michigan Stadium. However, in the aftermath of that game came the altercation in the Lloyd Carr tunnel that became the talk of college football in the immediate aftermath.

This game stayed clean — until time was nearly expired. Michigan, having just produced a first down that enabled it to go into victory formation, took a knee on the next snap. Then all hell (briefly) broke loose. Tight end Colston Loveland was headbutted and the rival teams suddenly found themselves in a bit of a brawl.

It wasn’t long-lasting, and the teams were removed from the field. Michigan players waved bye to the MSU contingent heading toward the tunnel.

It turns out, Loveland was doing some jawing, and that led to defensive lineman Anthony Jones’ reaction.

“You know how it is, just the rivalry, just a lot of talking, shoving,” Loveland said. “Like I said, we respect them, just kind of heat of the moment type stuff. Super glad got the win — onto the next week.”

Head coach Sherrone Moore wasn’t happy any of it happened: the jawing or the reaction to the reaction. As he said in his postgame press conference, that’s not what Michigan stands for, and he’ll handle the issue internally.

“I told the team it’s unacceptable, regardless of what happened and how it started,” Moore said. “There’s guys chirping at us and us responding. And the guy headbutted Colston at the end, and our job is to represent these universities, not to respond to that, is to let the refs handle that. So something that we’ll handle internally and make sure we take care of. But that’s not Michigan football. That’s not who we are.”

Michigan has won three straight over rival MSU, and the Spartans will have a chip on their shoulders after the way this game ended, at the very least.

Colston Loveland after beating MSU: ‘Lil’ bro stay doing lil’ bro things’

He’s not wrong! #GoBlue

This isn’t going to go over well in East Lansing.

MSU fans went into Saturday night’s game against rival Michigan football thinking that this win would be theirs, and for the first 25 minutes of the game, they looked like they’d be right. However, they play games for a reason, and the Wolverines managed to upend MSU, 24-17, to retain the Paul Bunyan Trophy.

To the winner goes the spoils and bragging rights. And for tight end Colston Loveland, he can say all he wants having gone 3-0 against his in-state rival. Thus, when interviewed on the field after the game, Loveland made some comments that might be somewhat incendiary to those who bleed green and white.

In the aftermath of the game, the two teams skirmished, and Loveland noted that he was doing some talking in the aftermath. That led to an MSU player, defensive lineman Anthony Jones, to headbutt him as time expired, ending up in a short brawl on the field between the two rivals.

Should Chiefs look to target a TE in the 2025 NFL draft?

In his ‘Daft on Draft’ first round mock, expert draftnik Cory Kinnan mocked Michigan TE Colston Loveland to the #Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs are off to a perfect start to their 2024 campaign and have a ton of momentum behind them ahead of a Week 7 Super Bowl LVIII rematch against the San Francisco 49ers.

Though things are going great for the defending champions at the moment, some pundits are already looking ahead to the 2025 NFL draft to predict who the Chiefs might add to sustain their budding dynasty.

This week, expert draftnik Cory Kinnan, who is the managing editor of Brown Wire, sent Michigan Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland to Kansas City in his latest Daft on Draft first-round mock draft, predicting that the Chiefs will look for the heir to Travis Kelce’s throne in April.

Though it would certainly make sense for the Chiefs to target a pass-catcher, Kelce may be able to allay the fears of his decline with an outstanding performance against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon in Week 7.

Michigan players on Alex Orji: ‘Just waiting for him to take over’ games

Orji’s teammates insist he’s wayyy more talented than we’ve seen thus far. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football fans are a little on edge after new starting quarterback Alex Orji threw for 32 yards in his first start and 86 yards in his second. But players and coaches insist progress is happening and that Orji can be a bona fide QB for the reigning national champion.

Orji hadn’t taken five snaps in a row before the Week 4 game against USC, so he’s still getting his feet wet after just two games. And those who have seen what Orji can do in practice know he’s capable of so much more than he’s shown in the past two weeks.

Of those who think there’s a lot more to Orji’s game includes the top tight end in the nation, Colston Loveland.

“Kind of just waiting for him to take over,” Loveland said. “I think he’s definitely got it in him. Can be. Obviously, he’s freaky, but like, just, I’m waiting on him — which I know he will — just take over the game with his legs, with his arm strength. And I know it’s coming, so I’m excited. I’m excited to see when that comes.”

Orji’s skill set, as a dual-threat quarterback, does open up a lot of possibilities that haven’t been fully exploited as of yet. But another aspect to his game that we might not get to see from Orji is his leadership.

Redshirt freshman wide receiver Kendrick Bell says that Orji’s leadership is an attribute that fans don’t get to see that resonates highly with his teammates. In such, Bell gave an example in practice how Orji has changed the confidence of the offense due to his willingness to step up and lead the team.

“He is a vocal leader,” Bell said. “He throws the ball well. If things are not going right, he’ll bring the whole offense together. Be like, ‘We gotta get this right. Let’s fix this next period,’ and actually, we’ll have a good period after that. But he’s just a really good leader.”

Fans will get a chance to see Orji try to get his third win, and the first on the road, when Michigan heads to Washington to take on the Huskies on Saturday.

Sherrone Moore updates Michigan football TE Colston Loveland status heading into Week 5

#Michigan absolutely needs him if it’s going to have any sort of pass game. #GoBlue

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan football didn’t exactly light the field up against USC in Week 4 through the air. In part, that was due to having a new starting quarterback, Alex Orji, as well as the focus being on the ground game. But the Wolverines were also missing one important piece: tight end Colston Loveland.

Widely thought of as the best tight end in college football, Loveland is a threat to catch the ball anywhere on the field on any given play. He is easily the Wolverines’ best downfield threat. With Loveland out, that threat was mostly neutralized this week.

There was some drama leading up to the game. Though Loveland injured his shoulder against Arkansas State, but there had been a great deal of positive hype that he could be ready to go. However, two hours before the game against the Trojans, Loveland was ruled out.

On Monday, head coach Sherrone Moore said it’s too soon to know whether he’ll be able to play against Minnesota, but noted that he was close to being able to go last week against USC.

“Yeah, we’ll see. Doing better. Doing a lot better,” Moore said. “Was close to playing last Saturday but doctors felt that it would be in his best interest that he not. So we’re in a positive patch right now, so we’ll see.”

Despite missing last week, through four games, Loveland still has triple the number of yards as the next closest receiver, having reeled in 19 catches for 187 yards in three games. Semaj Morgan is the next closest, with 12 catches for 62 yards.

The passing game didn’t look good last week: Orji completed 7-of-12 passes for 32 yards. However, not having the sole threat in the middle of the field certainly hampered his and the offense’s limited ability to get the ball downfield through the air.

How important is Colston Loveland for Michigan against USC?

Colston Loveland is easily Michigan’s most dynamic pass-catching threat. His health status is a key unknown aspect of the leadup to kickoff against USC.

We are talking to Wolverines Wire editor Isaiah Hole about Michigan before the Wolverines face USC this Saturday in the showcase Big Ten football game of Week 4. We asked Isaiah about the significance and centrality of tight end Colston Loveland to the Michigan offense and UM’s chances of beating USC.

“It will be tough if he’s unable to go, given that he’s pretty much the recipient of most downfield shots that have been completed up until this point,” Hole told us. “However, the Wolverines do have multiple options – we’re just now starting to see them. Marlin Klein at tight end has often been mentioned as the fastest, most athletic player in the position group. Hogan Hansen, a true freshman, saw the field for the first time in Week 3 and his sole reception was a touchdown. But there are other receiving options that Michigan will look to utlilize. Tyler Morris is WR1, but he was out with injury this last week. He hasn’t had much production and his claim to fame is the touchdown catch-and-run against Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Surprisingly, Semaj Morgan hasn’t been more of a focal point as he’s a shifty player that’s thought to be more involved in lateral action, but also is a downfield threat, despite his diminutive size. Kendrick Bell and Fred Moore are now seeing their first action. But Donovan Edwards has long been touted as the player with the best hands on the team, yet, Michigan seems intent on using him mostly in the run game. But we’ve seen games (like at Maryland in 2021) where he can thrive – he had 170 yards receiving in that game. Michigan can win if it doesn’t throw much – it’s a team built more on running the football with occasional downfield shots. So, yes, it can win if Loveland doesn’t play, but it will just need some of those other players to step up to back up the safeties and linebackers so they don’t key in that much more up front.

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