‘No brakes, foot on the pedal’ for Michigan during offseason on quest for a special 2023

Jun 10, 2023

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Most everyone, from Jim Harbaugh to national media to fans, believes Michigan football could have what it takes to win a title this season.

After consecutive College Football Playoff semifinal losses, U-M players seem to have that same mindset.

"We came in winter like it was one big season. We gotta roll right back into it. No brakes, keep the foot on the pedal," tight end Colston Loveland said. "We all knew that. We all knew we can't let this happen again. So we’ve got to really lock in do even more than we did. Everyone is on the same page with that."

Winter has turned to spring and now summer, and the 2023 season begins in fewer than 90 days.

It's a different offseason experience for Loveland, who did not expect to play much last year as a freshman and will enter this fall camp as one of the biggest names on the team.

"Crazy, crazy," Loveland said. "Now I know the playbook. I can really just work on my game and everything I need, to new things I can learn and add to my game.

"… I’ve got to step up even more now. I’ve got a bigger role to play. And I’m ready for that."

Speaking to The Michigan Insider, Loveland said he has improved in "all aspects" compared to last season. He is faster and stronger, he explained, while refining his technique in the run game.

And on the passing front, it helps to have had a healthy J.J. McCarthy. Last year, he was rehabbing a shoulder injury, which made it difficult to build the comfort that only comes through reps.

"Having this offseason with him and building the chemistry with the receivers, tight ends, everyone, that's huge" Loveland said. "… We got so much time to work on that compared to last year with him. It's gonna be crazy."

And while eyes will be on Loveland this fall, the tight end room has plenty of depth.

" AJ [Barner], great guy, great addition to the tight end room. Great athlete as well, and he's gonna help us crazy this year," Loveland said. "And then Matthew Hibner, he's another one. He's a freak.

"… Max Bredesen. He's been doing his thing since last spring. And then Zack Marshall, he's an incoming freshman. He knew the playbook like two weeks in — super smart, locked in on everything. Marlin [Klein] has been doing a great job too. He's freaky athletic, crazy athlete.

"As a tight end room, as a whole, we’re all just so close."

Behind the Uniform is The Michigan Insider's longform video series featuring high school, college, and professional athletes going beyond the typical surface level Q&As, and engaging in deeper conversations about what makes them tick on and off the field. Whether through sit-downs at our new video set in Ann Arbor, or on location with the subjects, ‘BTU’ will meet them where they’re most comfortable and more likely to open up.

Episode 14 in the series features Sam Webb's recent sit-down with Michigan tight end Colston Loveland reflecting upon his journey to Michigan and his breakout freshman campaign — and much more!

To view the episode, press play on the embed. A table of contents appears below.

------------------------------------Contents of the video------------------------------------

00:00 - Introduction 03:14 – On putting Idaho on the football recruiting map 04:26 – On catching the attention of U-M and Bama 07:28 – On what set Michigan apart 08:21 – Auburn's last-ditch effort to flip him 09:32 – his relationship with Jay Harbaugh 10:22 – On his relationship with Grant Newsome 13:53 – His challenging adjustment as an early enrollee 15:50 – His NIL experience thus far 19:09 – Looking back at his first fall in Ann Arbor 20:23 – His most memorable freshman year mistake 22:04 – First impressions of the rivalry with Michigan State 22:57 – Comparing Michigan State and Ohio State 24:58 – Reflecting upon his memorable performance vs OSU 28:10 – On his Moss-like TD in the B1G title game 29:33 – On his (and U-M's) sharpened focus heading into the season 32:26 – On his connection with JJ McCarthy 33:12 – On this year's tight end room 35:00 – Predicting 2023's breakout Wolverines 36:41 – On taking the offense to the next level 38:41 – His advice to current standout recruits from Idaho 40:55 – Wolverine Weekend

Story photo by Patrick Barron / MGoBlog.com