When I'm healthy, I play

Ann Arbor With so many goals on the table and Michigan needing to win one of its two remaining regular season games to become bowl eligible, it wouldn’t be surprising if players heading into the NFL Draft decide to pack up.

Michigan, coming soon an undefeated national championship seasonis 5-5 overall, 3-4 Big Ten and does not have a game this weekend before facing Northwestern and No. 2 Ohio State at home in Columbus on Nov. 30. The Wolverines need six wins to make a bowl in Sherrone Moore’s first season as head coach.

Tight end Colston Loveland, Michigan’s leading receiver, is one of four Wolverines on ESPN Draft analyst Mel Kiper’s early Big Board for the 2025 NFL Draft. The others are defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and cornerback Will Johnson.

Loveland, who missed one game this season, has 53 catches for 560 yards and four touchdowns. He was asked after practice this week about players’ motivation to keep playing since the Wolverines’ goals like the College Football Playoff and the Big Ten championship are off the table.

“We’re going to play,” Loveland said. “As long as we’re healthy and feeling good, we’re going to play. Michigan has done so much for us. All our boys, our brothers, our family, our coaches, they’re all still coaching and playing, so why shouldn’t we play? We have goals to achieve as a team and also individually, so as long as I’m healthy, I’ll play.”

He said he can see both sides of the conversation for players who may decide it’s time to focus on their preparation for the NFL Draft.

“Maybe if you’ve had an injury or something, but I think if you’re healthy and you can go out there, we love the game of football and we’ve been blessed by a lot of the guys here. God, that we can play this game, and our families have sacrificed so much, so why shouldn’t we play? That’s kind of where my mind is going.”

A bowl game is important when it comes to extra practice. Teams prepare for the bowl game, but also for next season, preparing for winter conditioning and then spring training. They are given exercise in a bowl for up to four hours a day or twenty hours a week.

But getting a spot in the 12-team playoffs with a national title in sight is a lot different than playing in a bowl game. That’s when the NFL-bound players will likely make business decisions.

“That might be a different story,” Loveland said when asked about playing in a bowl, “but yeah, as long as I feel good in the regular season, I’ll definitely play.”

Loveland is a 6-foot-1, 245-pound junior who could return for another season, but since the end of last season he has been projected highly in the 2025 Draft. And as far as Michigan tight ends coach Steve Casula is concerned, Loveland is ready for the NFL.

“I’ve never coached in the NFL, but since my time here at Ferris (State), I’ve dealt with a handful of NFL players,” Casula said recently. “I’ve only been to an NFL practice once in my life. If he’s not ready to play in the NFL, I don’t know who would be. He’s excellent. I think if you compare his movement skills, his athleticism, ball skills and all that stuff, you could compare him to NFL players. Obviously it will be a reset button for him when he goes to the NFL.

“But without the experience of coaching in the NFL, hell, if he’s not ready to play in the NFL, I don’t know who would be. I say that mainly as a compliment to him.”

Loveland is Michigan’s favorite target this season and the defense has targeted him for obvious reasons.

“I can definitely feel the respect, whether they drop someone there, or cheat a safety or whatever,” Loveland said. “But sometimes that’s the way it is, so you just have to open up no matter what. It can get frustrating, but you just have to keep trying to open up.

Does he have a go-to move to open up?

“No, I can’t do that on camera right now,” Loveland said, laughing in front of a group of reporters shooting video.

Michigan has struggled offensively this season, but Loveland remains confident the Wolverines are about to turn things around. They rank 130th in total offense (290.1 yards) and 118th in scoring (20.4 points).

“Obviously a lot of things didn’t go the way we wanted,” Loveland said. “Only two more guaranteed matches to put it on tape. I feel like as an offense we have the ability to do – I’m sounding a little like a broken record – we have the potential. Potential means nothing if you can’t actually do it. I’m just really focused on going out there, putting really good tape on film as an offense, working together, game hitting, passing game hitting. We just need everything to click and this bye week should be good to give us another week of preparation for Northwestern and attacking it.

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