DETROIT — Considering how much Michigan football lost in the tight end room from the past two years, you’d think entering 2023 it would be seen as a rebuilding unit.
Not so much.
Entering 2022, starters from the year past — Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker — were returning, along with Joel Honigford, the converted offensive lineman. Yet, there was a lot of intrigue surrounding Colston Loveland, the freshman from Gooding, Idaho.
By the season’s end, All was shut down due to injury before he ultimately transferred to Iowa. Schoonmaker was playing well, but was precluded due to various injuries. So it was Loveland who had taken on the role of being that dynamic, pass-catching tight end. He had impressive touchdown catches against both Ohio State and Purdue, the latter being the Big Ten Championship game.
This year, Loveland is considered to be a premier player on the Wolverine offense. He’s joined by former Indiana team captain AJ Barner, who arrived in Ann Arbor via the NCAA transfer portal this offseason. Between that duo as well as up-and-coming players like Matthew Hibner, Marlin Klein, and incoming tight ends Deakon Tonielli and Zack Marshall, Loveland sees a group that should match or surpass the previous iterations inside Schembechler Hall.
“Yeah, losing those guys, it’s tough because those are big, big part of the team and great dudes, especially for the room,” Loveland told WolverinesWire. “They knew a lot, taught me a lot. But our tight ends room right now is just deep, too. We got Hibby (Matthew Hibner), AJ, Marlin — I can keep going on with everyone. And we bond so good together, and such a tight-knit group. And that’s the team in general.
“But no, I’m loving it. I can’t wait to play with these guys.”
As for his own game, Loveland feels much further along than he was at this time last year.
He had an impressive catch in the spring game as an early enrollee and eventually started seeing his production increase as the year went on before cementing himself as a reliable playmaker. Now, he feels much more comfortable in the offense as he enters his second year and hopes both he and the team can deliver on expectations.
“Yeah, totally different,” Loveland said. “I know everything now, like playbook-wise. Now, I’m just really working on fine-tuning my game and working together as a team and just our main goal, which I think we all know what that is.”
As mentioned, Loveland will be joined by senior AJ Barner, who showed out in the spring game this year. He feels that the two of them together can be that dynamic duo that the Wolverines are hoping for based off what he’s seen from the Ohio native in Ann Arbor this offseason.
“He’s been balling ever since he got in. And he’s a super good guy, too. Like I said, he fit right into the room right when he came in and yeah — I’m excited to see what we can all do.”
