Michigan TE Colston Loveland on preseason accolades: 'I haven't done anything yet'

Michigan Wolverines football junior Colston Loveland has been named a preseason first-team All-American by multiple publications, and PFF named the 6-foot-5, 245-pounder the No. 1 tight end in the nation.

His coaches have said he’s the best tight end in the country since before the 2023 campaign, and his teammates echo those sentiments. Through it all, Loveland — who hauled in 45 catches for 649 yards and 4 touchdowns last season — has stayed level-headed.

“Yeah, I’ve seen some stuff on it,” Loveland said of the preseason hype. “It’s an honor, but I feel like I got a long ways to go. I haven’t at all peaked. In all aspects of my game, I feel like I can grow, which is exciting. It’s cool to see that. But really, I don’t listen to all that. I’ve got a lot to prove to myself, to this team. I’m just focused on what we’ve got going right now, what we’ve got going today and camp.

“I think it’s just kinda what we do at Michigan. We kinda block out all the noise — good or bad. It’s preseason, so I haven’t done anything yet. I look at it like that means nothing to me, because we haven’t done anything. It’s just kind of being surrounded by like-minded individuals every day, we’re all on the same page that none of it matters until we go out and do it. That’s kinda how I rock.”

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Loveland won’t have J.J. McCarthy — the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — to throw to him this season. The Wolverines have a quarterback competition ongoing, with graduate Jack Tuttle, senior Davis Warren and junior Alex Orji appearing to be the top three contenders, and it’ll take time to decide who the starter will be. Loveland is confident in the different options.

“It’s just reps, out here throwing all summer and the offseason — spring and summer,” Loveland said. “Just coming out here and throwing with everyone, catching balls from all the quarterbacks. All the receivers have caught balls from all the quarterbacks. And we know that whoever wins the job, at the end of the day, we’re going to be in great hands. They’re all very good leaders, work very hard, know the scheme really well. So we’re not really worried about that right now.

“It’s gonna be Michigan football, at the end of the day. Each quarterback has their own skill set, but we’ll know what it is when we find a quarterback.”

Loveland and the tight ends work closely with Michigan’s new-look offensive line, which lost all five starters from last season. The Gooding, Idaho, native also has a strong level of belief in the men up front.

“I’m really loving what we’ve seen from the O-line thus far,” the Michigan standout said. “Really physical, firing off the ball, and we got guys that have been here — and they know how it works, they know how it rolls. So super excited about that.

“Just gotta continue to build the chemistry with the tight ends and the O-line. We gotta be able to communicate with them as well, so just building that. But I’m really excited with where we’re at as far as the O-line. A lot of dawgs, a lot of dudes that are just hungry — hungry to win.”

Loveland, who opened 12 games and played in all 15 tilts last season, is the team’s lone returning starter on offense. However, the Wolverines have players with experience and continuity with the coaching staff.

“The reason we’re going to have success is, first off, the coaching staff. I’ve got full trust in those guys,” Loveland explained. “They’re going to put us in the best position to succeed. Really smart coaches, detailed, precise.

“And then we got some weapons on offense — a lot of young guys, a lot of guys that haven’t really broken onto the scene, haven’t gotten the opportunity to break onto the scene. So I’m excited to see … there are gonna be a lot of names to come up out of nowhere. Just trusting the process of our offense and trusting the coaches and the game plan and what they have for us is going to be a big thing. And ultimately that will lead us to success.”