Idaho native was the ‘ace up the sleeve’ for Michigan’s national football title

Needing a big play in the fourth quarter of the national championship game Monday night, Michigan knew where to turn — to its tight end from Idaho.

Gooding High graduate Colston Loveland hauled in a 41-yard catch as the Wolverines clung to a seven-point lead early in the fourth quarter, rumbling through the heart of the Washington defense on college football’s largest stage.

The back-breaking play set up Michigan running back Blake Corum’s 12-yard touchdown four plays later, giving the Wolverines a two-score lead with 7:09 left in the fourth quarter. Washington never got any closer as Loveland’s sure hands helped seal a 34-13 victory for Michigan’s first national championship since 1997.

The Wolverines’ offense sputtered for much of the third quarter, but Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said after the game that he knew he had another card to play.

“We had another ace up the sleeve,” Harbaugh said at a press conference. “We had a play-action pass to Colston Loveland.”

Loveland led the Wolverines in receiving yards (64) Monday and tied for the team lead in catches (three) — the biggest being his game-changing catch over the middle.

“We needed a play,” Loveland told the Big Ten Network. “Obviously, there were a lot of three-and-outs. They called that play, and it was kind of one of those plays all week where I was like, ‘All right, I know I’m getting the ball. I gotta go make a play.’

“J.J. (McCarthy) put it where it needed to be, and I came down with the catch. It was a huge play. It kind of got the momentum going.”

Loveland’s impact wasn’t limited to the passing game. The 6-5, 245-pound sophomore also delivered one of the game’s key blocks in the first quarter. Loveland sprung Donovan Edwards for a 46-yard touchdown run by sealing Washington corner Dominique Hampton with a picture-perfect open-field block.

Loveland has made an immediate impact in two seasons at Michigan. Broadcasters often focus on his roots from a small Idaho town few have ever heard of. But he was the Wolverines’ second-leading receiver this season, and the Big Ten coaches named him a first-team all-conference selection.

Loveland graduated from Gooding in 2022 as a four-star recruit with offers from many of the country’s top programs, including Alabama, LSU and Auburn. But he chose Michigan, and two years later he has a national championship.

“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Loveland told Detroit’s WXYZ TV. “It’s crazy.”