Tag: Colston Loveland

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — He should have known how pivotal he might be when he reeled in a big catch in the spring game as an early enrollee earlier in the year. Yet, nothing could have fully prepared Colston Loveland for his current role with Michigan football.

With Erick All having only played in one game due to injury (before eventually transferring) and Luke Schoonmaker going down late in the season with an injury of his own, the Gooding, Idaho four-star tight end has become something of a focal point in the Wolverine offense in recent weeks, reeling in his first two touchdown catches in the two biggest games of the season: at Ohio State and in the Big Ten Championship game. If you would have told Loveland when he arrived in Ann Arbor just under a year ago, he wouldn’t have believed that such would be the case.

“Honestly, no, I didn’t just because I didn’t think I was gonna be able to but I’m super blessed I got put in that position to be able to make those plays,” Loveland said.

Why has he been able to emerge when the team’s needed him most? He credits his coaches, his teammates as well as his family for the mixture of pushing him while keeping him grounded.

“Just being surrounded by, being in this building surrounded by such great people that pushed me every day,” Loveland said. “Couldn’t be more blessed. And with a family back home, they’re always keeping me level-headed and getting me right. And then, some spots opened up and able to play a little ball.”

[lawrence-related id=66597,66591,66600,66588]

Erick All was a good mixture between being a pass-catcher and a blocker, while Luke Schoonmaker has grown into being both just this past season. Loveland admits he’s still learning the blocking element, but his ability to catch the ball was never in doubt.

“That’s all I did in high school,” Loveland said. “So it was kind of just like throw it up and whatever — one-verse-three or whatever. So pretty comfortable going up and getting the ball.”

Even still, he’s able to take a step back and see just how far he’s come from when he first arrived until now. But he’s not at all content with where he’s at, because he knows there’s a lot more that can be added to his game between now and when he departs the program in two-to-three years.

“The growth just from day one to now, it’s insane,” Loveland said. “I’ve grew so much and think — it’s really the older guys in the tight end room, really, and Coach Newsome, obviously. Every day, they’re showing me new things, just more stuff. And I don’t even know all that right now, you know what I’m saying? I’ve got so much more to learn. So being where am I right now and having more to learn is amazing.”

[listicle id=66474]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=]

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Idaho isn’t exactly a hotbed of college football talent. Though, many who are talented end up going to the flagship in-state school, Boise State.

Gooding, Idaho native, Colston Loveland, did manage to rise above the pack, rated a four-star recruit, the top player in the state, and the No. 10 tight end in the country in the 2022 class. He had an offer from the Broncos in Boise, but also got the attention of Alabama, Auburn, and LSU, with the three SEC powerhouses issuing him an offer.

As he was starting to get going, coming off of his sophomore year when he was still primarily a wide receiver, the tight end was concerned that perhaps he would go unnoticed — that is, until Idaho State came calling.

Then, Utah State and Nevada offered on the same day, Utah came in two weeks later, Oregon State a week after that, Arizona State a week after that, and it just snowballed.

By the following spring, Loveland had some of the nation’s most coveted offers. But he wasn’t sure that they would come in at one point.

“Yeah, that was a worry for sure,” Loveland said. “Because growing up, I’d seen a lot of talent, actually, in my school, and Idaho, in general, kind of gets looked over. So it was a little bit of a worry. But you know, people ahead of me have preached: if you’re good, people will find you. So it’s kind of what I stuck with.”

[lawrence-related id=63535,63532,63530]

But why did he choose Michigan? After all, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide offered him a full month beforehand. For Loveland, there was something special brewing in Ann Arbor, he could feel — and after his official visit in June of 2021, he decided to make it official that he was going to be a Wolverine on the 4th of July.

“Obviously, academics is great,” Loveland said. “And when I came here my visit, just the culture felt right and all the players that I met, and obviously the staff and coaches, they were all like something special’s here. And ever since I came, it exceeded my expectations. Everyone here is — just the staff and the players are super great. And we’ve got a bond like I really I’ve never seen anywhere else, like all my visits, especially. It’s super, super cool. And I’m glad I came.”

His decision seems to be paying off. Usually, a team coming off of a Big Ten Championship and a College Football Playoff appearance doesn’t have a lot of room for freshmen to be early contributors. That’s especially true at Michigan, given that both starters at his position — Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker — both returned. But through four games, Loveland has seen 81 snaps, and his role hasn’t really diminished, despite the Wolverines entering Big Ten play.

In fact, while he didn’t have a catch in the Week 4 game against Maryland, he did have what can be considered the game-winning play, recovering an onside kick by the Terps, which could have given Maryland an opportunity to tie or win outright if they had recovered.

Loveland knows the honor bestowed upon him by the coaches, giving that they put him out there in a pivotal position during a pivotal time in the game. It was made all the better when his teammates surrounded him after he made the game-saving play.

“Just super blessed to be put in that position, honestly,” Loveland said. “I had the trust of the coaches and seeing it lined up, had a good idea was coming to me and luckily got ahold of it. Yeah, it was just a pretty, pretty awesome experience for sure.

“Now all the guys, obviously, celebrating with me, that’s huge. Love the guys.”

Through four games, Loveland has four catches for 33 yards. With All being out with an undisclosed injury this past week, should he remain sidelined, his snap count could grow in the coming weeks, especially against tougher defenses like Iowa and Penn State forthcoming.

[listicle id=63382]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]