What veteran Michigan football TE sees from Colston Loveland
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — He stepped up when Michigan football has needed him most.
With Luke Schoonmaker injured and somewhat limited entering the Ohio State game, and Erick All out for the season, there was no fully healthy, veteran presence for the Wolverines at a prime position. In the weeks leading up to the game against the Buckeyes, the offense reflected that, as QB J.J. McCarthy didn’t have his reliable outlet in the pass game when the wideouts were covered up on the outside.
Enter Colston Loveland, who, from Week 12 on, now has two touchdowns to his name, including the go-ahead score over OSU as the first points of the game against Purdue in the Big Ten Championship game. After starting off with at least one catch in his first three games, he didn’t reel in any receptions in the next five. But in the last five, he’s managed eight catches for 171 yards and the aforementioned two touchdowns.
But what’s allowed him to succeed, especially when he was needed? How has he changed since he first arrived in Ann Arbor last spring?
“Mainly just his understanding of the playbook, he’s the same player,” sixth-year tight end Joel Honigford said. “He’s gritty, he’s fast, he’s physical, he can catch. We saw that the first time he was here in his first spring practice ’til the last game. He’s always been the same player, but his understanding of the game has developed a lot. And I think a lot of his blocking skills have also developed, I don’t know how many times he was asked to inline-block in high school. But he’s gotten much better at that.”
Related
Why Mason Graham is succeeding where most freshmen DTs do not
Michigan football adds yet another commitment from transfer portal
Michigan football lands a quarterback from the transfer portal
Honigford made the switch in 2020 to tight end, himself, and only devoted himself full-time to the position in 2021. So, coming from the offensive line, he knows a little something about transitioning to a new role.
In his eyes, how has it been for Loveland?
“Speaking from my experience, coming in as an offensive lineman, it was tough, because it’s a whole new game,” Honigford said. “Any little mistakes in technique that you have, they’ll get exposed. So you can’t have that. And it was a big learning curve for me. As I noticed, for most people, it’s just a completely different game. The recruiters coming in, it’s not always the top dog anymore. In some cases, I mean, they still show up pretty good.
“But I mean, the transition for him seemed pretty seamless. And I think we all collectively helped him along the way to put him and the other guys in the best spot they could be that way and help them with their technique and stuff.”
List
EXCLUSIVE: Desmond Howard breaks down Michigan football vs. TCU
