Michigan's Colston Loveland is the best tight end in the country and it isn't close
Have you ever seen the video of the mechanics working on a car, and somehow every button on the car honks the horn? It's a pretty apt analogy for Michigan's offense except instead of a car horn, every button ends up as Colston Loveland. No matter the down, Loveland is involved in the play somehow. […]
Have you ever seen the video of the mechanics working on a car, and somehow every button on the car honks the horn?
It's a pretty apt analogy for Michigan's offense except instead of a car horn, every button ends up as Colston Loveland. No matter the down, Loveland is involved in the play somehow. Whether he's lead blocking, running the ball, catching the pass, or opening up a window for another receiver, Loveland is the most involved playmaker in the Michigan offense.
Loveland is fifth among all tight ends in receiving yards, fourth in receptions, and seventh in touchdown receptions despite missing a game. He's third among all tight ends in targets with one fewer game played than first or second place.
Furthermore, look at what he's working with around him. Nothing else on the Michigan offense is working, with an inconsistent rushing attack that has sputtered recently and no other receiver able to get open. Even with every team in the Big Ten focused solely on taking him out of the game, he still produces at the top of the country.
Of Michigan's nine games this season, Loveland has led the team in seven of those. He got hurt in one of the two and missed the other with that same injury. He has led the team in receptions in every game he's played this team.
Loveland's 69 targets lead the team. Nobody else has more than 29. His 49 catches lead the team. Nobody else has more than 134 yards. He's the only player on the team with more than two touchdown catches.
Michigan QB Davis Warren shared what makes Colston Loveland special following his performance in Oregon loss
Michigan might have lost 38-17 to Oregon on Saturday, but their star tight end Colston Loveland had yet another monstrous performance as one of the lone bright spots for the Wolverines. Loveland caught seven receptions for 112 yards on the day as Michigan only managed 165 total passing yards in the game. After the game, […]
His 35% target share is the highest mark in the country for any tight end. Only one wide receiver has a higher target share than Loveland. He is the entire offense for a blue-blood team and is single-handedly dragging a lackluster offense to being on the cusp of a postseason berth.
He's considered a first-round prospect for a reason. Loveland is a terrific separator as a route runner, he has great top-end speed, he catches everything thrown his way, and is great after the catch.
Nobody has paid much attention to Michigan's offense this season, but people should tune in just to watch Colston Loveland play. He was named a semi-finalist for the Mackey Award this week, handed out to the best tight end in the country. For my money, nobody deserves it more.
