The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2021 THE WOLVERINE 59 COMMITMENT PROFILE M ichigan hasn't rostered a player from Idaho in more than a de- cade. After all, Idaho is far from a routine producer of high-level foot- ball talent. However, the Gem State is home to, well, a literal gem in three- star Gooding (Idaho) High tight end Colston Loveland. Tucked away in a remote part of the western United States, Loveland received almost no traction on the re- cruiting trail early on in his process. After a dominant junior season and at- tending a few offseason camps, Love- land began to receive some buzz, earn- ing offers from Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, UCLA, Utah and others. But it was U-M that found a way to stick out from the pack. "When he got the Michigan offer, Alabama, Georgia, Auburn and Penn State were already talking to him," Gooding head coach Cameron An- dersen said. "I felt Michi- gan was his most committable offer. "One, the climate. Michigan isn't Idaho, but it's not L.A. — it's not Auburn either. I just thought Ann Arbor was going to be his best fit. Schematically, we like to run the foot- ball first. Michigan likes to run the football first. I'm one of those quirky guys who loves football. I don't have a lot of hobbies; my hobby is football. That's very Jim Harbaugh-esque. "When I talked to Harbaugh, he said: 'I love football, and that's what I do. If you like football and fish- ing, you probably aren't going to like me.' Colston has a love for football. I have a love for football. The style he's used to here is the style he's go- ing to get at Michigan. He'll fit in there better than anywhere." Michigan originally wasn't sched- uled to receive an official visit from Loveland in June. He already had a trip to Colorado scheduled but ul- timately canceled when U-M tight ends coach Jay Harbaugh made an all-out blitz for his services. Harbaugh was able to convince Loveland to make his way out to Ann Arbor instead. He fell in love with U-M on the visit and gave the Wol- verines a commitment before making it public about a week later on July 4. "I'll tell you a story," Andersen said. "He got up there for his visit, and everybody is shocked that this coach from Idaho didn't lie about Colston. One day, I was sitting in my class, and Ann Arbor rings on my phone. "I was like, 'Okay, this might be a Harbaugh.' There is a rule in football that if a Harbaugh calls, you answer no matter what you're doing. I answered the phone, and it was Jay Harbaugh. He told me he really liked his film. I gave him his measureables. I told him he's close to 6-6 and 230 pounds. "On the visit, they got Colston in and measured him, and he calls me and says 'Coach, you weren't lying! This kid is everything you said he was. He's massive.' What good does it do for me to lie? He said, 'This dude is body ready.' They love him." Loveland began his high school career as a wide receiver and led the state with more than 1,000 receiving yards a n d 1 4 t o u c h d o w n catches. Last year was the first year he really played tight end full-time, but he was still able to record 69 re- ceptions for 816 yards and five scores. "He's gotten used to blocking old school," Andersen said. "He's a very old-school blocking tight end. He fin- ishes with authority. He has a back- ground blocking in space because of his experience as a wide receiver. We didn't have to spend a lot of time on his route running and ability to high point the ball." — EJ Holland Colston Loveland Will Make The Rare Journey From Idaho To The Big House PLAYER EVALUATION Strengths: Colston Loveland is a natural pass catcher that can play with his hand in the dirt or create mismatches on the outside. He has excellent leaping ability and high points the ball. A big target in the red zone, he makes tough catches in traffic look ef- fortless. He has added a ton of weight to his frame and is a monster in the weight room, benching and power cleaning more than 300 pounds. Areas Of Improvement: Loveland has developed into a great blocker from the in-line spot. However, he can continue to improve his technique and hand placement in that arena. He runs great routes for his size when split out wide, but he needs to learn to do the same from an in-line spot. Michigan Player Comparison: Love- land has a similar build and skill set at this stage as freshman tight end Louis Hansen. Like Loveland, Hansen spent a lot of time out wide early in his high school career before becoming more comfortable as an in-line tight end. Hansen is now car r ying 252 pounds well, which is where Love- land will likely play at. Both are complete tight ends that can be dy- namic in Ann Arbor. — EJ Holland Though rated as just a three-star recruit and the No. 18 tight end in the nation, Loveland gar- nered offers from Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, LSU, UCLA, Utah and others. PHOTO BY KELLY MAGEE PHOTOGRAPHY/IDAHOSPORTSPHOTOS.COM Gooding (Idaho) High head coach Cameron Andersen "Colston has a love for football. … The style he's used to here is the style he's going to get at Michigan. He'll fit in there better than anywhere."