Colston Loveland
 Loveland with Michigan in 2024 | |
| Michigan Wolverines – No. 18 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Tight end |
| Class | Junior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 9, 2004 Goldendale, Washington, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games | |
| High school | Gooding (Gooding, Idaho) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| |
Colston Loveland (born April 9, 2004) is an American football tight end for the Michigan Wolverines. He was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore, winning a national championship in 2023.
Early life
[edit]Loveland was born on April 9, 2004, and grew up on a farm in Bliss, Idaho.[1][2] He attended Gooding High School in Gooding, Idaho, where he starred in basketball and football.[3] He caught 235 passes (91 as a sophomore) for 3,141 yards and 35 touchdowns at Gooding.[4]
As a senior, he played tight end and linebacker, catching 62 passes for 968 yards and 14 touchdowns, leading the Gooding Senators (9-1) to the Class 3A semifinals. Loveland rushed for 352 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries, and also recorded 57 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and two interceptions on defense.[5]
Loveland was rated as a four star recruit, a top 250 ranked player in the country and the No. 1 player in Idaho, winning the 2021 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year award.[6][7][8] He received offers from Michigan, Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Utah, Oregon State, Arizona State, Nevada, Idaho, Idaho State, and Utah State.[9][10]
College career
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Freshman season
[edit]In July 2021, Loveland committed to play college football at the University of Michigan.[11][12] He graduated and enrolled early in January 2022.[4][13] He appeared in his first game for Michigan versus Colorado State on September 3, 2022, and had two receptions for 18 yards.[14] In the 2022 season, Loveland had 16 receptions for 235 yards and two touchdowns.[15] Against Ohio State, he caught a 45-yard pass thrown by J. J. McCarthy at the beginning of the third quarter for his first collegiate touchdown.[16] He caught a touchdown the following week in the Big Ten Championship Game, helping Michigan win its second consecutive conference championship.[17]
Sophomore season
[edit]In the 2023 season, Loveland played and started all 15 games as a sophomore for Michigan.[15] He finished the season with 45 catches, 649 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns.[15] He was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and a second-team by the media.[18] He helped Michigan finish the season 15-0, including winning the Big Ten Championship,[19] Rose Bowl,[20] and the national championship.[21][22] Loveland was the leading receiver for the Wolverines in the national championship game, with three catches for 64 yards.[23] Loveland became the first Idahoan to be a part of a national championship squad since Jorrell Bostrom for Auburn in 2010.[24]
Junior season
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Entering his junior season, Loveland was ranked as the best tight end in college football prior to the 2024 season.[25][26][27] He is considered to be a first round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[28][29][30]
In his first game of the season versus Fresno State, Loveland had eight receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown.[31] In the week two loss against Texas, he was again Michigan’s leading receiver, finishing with eight receptions for 70 yards, though he had a costly fumble recovered by the Longhorns.[32] In week six versus Washington, Loveland had six receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown.[33] In week nine versus Michigan State, Loveland had six receptions for 67 yards, two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, as Michigan defeated the Spartans 24-17.[34] It was his second consecutive two-touchdown game against Michigan State, matching his 2023 performance.[35] In week ten versus Oregon, he had his first career game with over 100 receiving yards, as he caught seven passes for 112 yards.[36]
Statistics
[edit]| Season | G | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2022 | 14 | 16 | 235 | 14.7 | 2 | 1 | -8 | -8.0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 15 | 45 | 649 | 14.4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 29 | 61 | 884 | 14.5 | 6 | 1 | -8 | -8.0 | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^ McMann, Aaron (August 31, 2023). "Could a tight end from Idaho be Michigan's next big star?". mlive. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
- ^ Meek, Austin. "How Michigan's Colston Loveland went from Gooding, Idaho, to just plain good". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
- ^ Pat Sutphin (August 26, 2021). "Gooding High School's Colston Loveland: Redefining the game". MagicValley.com.
- ^ a b Josh Taubman (September 28, 2022). "Colston Loveland's journey from overlooked to immediate contributor". The Michigan Daily.
- ^ "Gooding High School Student-Athlete Named Gatorade Idaho Football Player of the Year" (PDF). Gatorade.
- ^ Brittany Cooper (December 8, 2021). "Colston Loveland named Gatorade Player of the Year, visited by Coach Harbaugh". KMVT 11.
- ^ "Colston Loveland: Gatorade Idaho Football Player of the Year". The Idaho Statesman. December 7, 2021.
- ^ "2022 Top Football Idaho Recruits". On3.
- ^ "Colston Loveland's journey from Idaho recruit to impact freshman at Michigan". Mlive.com. November 10, 2022.
- ^ Isaiah Hole (September 27, 2022). "Why Colston Loveland is glad he came to Michigan". USA Today.
- ^ "Michigan lands commitment from Idaho tight end Colston Loveland". The Detroit News. July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Idaho's top recruit, Gooding tight end Loveland, to Michigan". The Idaho Statesman. July 4, 2021.
- ^ "Colston Loveland signs with University of Michigan". MagicValley.com. December 15, 2021.
- ^ Jack Schemmel (September 29, 2022). "Gooding's Loveland making early impact at Michigan". KMVT 11.
- ^ a b c "Colston Loveland - Football". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Michigan's J.J. McCarthy Hits Colston Loveland for the 45-Yard Touchdown". Fox Sports. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
- ^ "Michigan 43-22 Purdue (Dec 3, 2022) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "2023 B1G Football All-Conference Teams (PDF) - Big Ten Conference" (PDF). Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Michigan Claims Third-Straight Big Ten Football Championship". Big Ten Conference. January 9, 2024. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ Athletic, The (January 2, 2024). "Michigan beats Alabama in Rose Bowl". The Athletic. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Idaho's Colston Loveland: Making of a national college football champion at Michigan". Sports Illustrated - High School.
- ^ "Michigan does it at last, powering through Washington for first national title since 1997". FOX Sports. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Washington Huskies vs Michigan Wolverines - January 09, 2024". Fox Sports. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ^ "Idaho's Colston Loveland: Making of a national college football champion at Michigan". High School On SI. January 11, 2024. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
- ^ Chadwick, Max (February 21, 2024). "College Football: The top-10 returning tight ends for the 2024 season". PFF. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ^ "Top 5 for 2024: Tight End Edition". Mike Farrell Sports.
- ^ "Ranking the Top 20 College Football Tight Ends for 2024". Sports Grid.
- ^ "Why Michigan's Colston Loveland is college football's top 2025 NFL Draft-eligible TE". 247Sports.
- ^ "PFF predicts 4 Michigan football players to go in first round in 2025 NFL draft". USA Today - Wolverines Wire.
- ^ "Colston Loveland stepping up as focal point of Michigan offense". The Michigan Daily.
- ^ "Michigan v. Fresno State (2024)". ESPN.
- ^ "Michigan v. Texas (2024)". ESPN.
- ^ "Michigan v. Washington (2024)". ESPN.
- ^ "Michigan v. Michigan State (2024)". ESPN.
- ^ "Michigan v. Michigan State (2023)". ESPN.
- ^ "Michigan v. Oregon (2024)". ESPN.
External links
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