Three Michigan Wolverines named freshman All-Americans by On3
On3 released its true freshman All-American team for the 2022 season, and three Michigan Wolverines football players made the cut. Tight end Colston Loveland, defensive tackle Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson all earned the honor.
Loveland has started three games this season, playing a more prominent role than originally expected due to a season-ending injury to senior Erick All, who’s since entered the transfer portal. Graduate Luke Schoonmaker missing time toward the end of the season got him on the field even more, too.
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The Michigan tight end caught a touchdown passes in each of the last two games, the most important tilts of the season against Ohio State and versus Purdue in the Big Ten championship.
“Tight end can be one of the tougher positions for true freshmen as it’s a developmental spot that calls for a variety of skills, both as a pass catcher and blocker,” On3’s Charles Power wrote. “While a few true freshman tight ends made impacts over the course of the season, we chose Michigan’s Colston Loveland here, in part due to his big performances down the stretch.
“Loveland has come on for the Wolverines over the last month of the season and caught two big touchdowns in the No. 2 Wolverines’ win at Ohio State and the Big Ten Championship Game. The touchdown on Saturday night was a big-time contested grab. If the last month is any indication, Loveland appears to be a key cog in Jim Harbaugh’s offensive attack moving forward.”
He’s expected to play an even bigger role next season, with Schoonmaker having accepted an East-West Shrine Bowl invite, indicating that he’ll take his shot at the NFL.
Graham was a Michigan spring standout that had a great fall camp, earned a starting spot in the Wolverines’ base, 3-4 defense and has shined all year long.
“You don’t typically see true freshmen play early along Michigan’s defensive front,” Power said. “That wasn’t the case this year, as Mason Graham made a sizable impact for the No. 2 Wolverines.
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“Graham saw signifiant playing time throughout the fall, registering 286 snaps, while tallying 25 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He continues to play well, proving to be disruptive in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday night. The former high-level wrestler plays with an innate understanding of leverage and high levels of effort and physicality.”
Like Loveland, Johnson has stepped up late in the season and become a Michigan starter. He’s started in three of the Wolverines’ final five games and had 3 interceptions in that span. His 88.4 overall PFF grade ranks eighth nationally among cornerbacks.
“Will Johnson ranked as a five-star and as the top prospect in Michigan in the 2022 recruiting cycle,” Power wrote.” Fast forward less than a year later and Johnson is making huge plays down the stretch for his home state Wolverines.
“The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has had back-to-back strong showings in two huge games. He fared well against Ohio State’s loaded wide receiver group in Michigan’s win over the Buckeyes. Johnson built on that performance by coming down with two interceptions in the Big 10 Championship Game on Saturday night.
“Johnson pairs that high-end size with a natural feel in coverage – a skill that he showed in the national all-star setting as a high school prospect.”
All three will play key roles in Michigan’s national title run, with the Wolverines set to take on TCU in the College Football Playoff semifinal Dec. 31.
