Why Alabama football, Pac-12 recruiters all want this Idaho small-town tight end
Recruiters from college football’s national powerhouses normally focus their attention on the traditional hotbeds of California, Florida and Texas.
But this year, many have turned their eyes to Gooding, an Idaho dairy town home to approximately 3,500 people — and one of the country’s top tight ends.
Last month, Gooding junior Colston Loveland already owned 11 Division I scholarship offers, and 247Sports rated him a four-star recruit and the 13th best tight end in the nation in the class of 2022. Then Alabama extended an offer, shifting the recruiting frenzy into high gear for the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder.
“I was stoked, for sure. I was stunned, definitely,” Loveland told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview this week. “But I’m just happy to be getting the attention I got and talking to all these coaches.”
The Alabama offer adds to a growing list that includes Boise State, Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Oregon State. Loveland said he plans to make a verbal commitment before the start of the next school year. But for now, he’s keeping his cards close to his vest.
He said he plans to visit as many colleges as possible before making a decision, and said he’s not necessarily looking for the most glamorous name. Instead, he’s focused on finding the right fit and a program that will help him fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL.
“It’s do I want to live there for four, five or however many years I’m there?” Loveland said. “People are a big thing, how the players are. And, obviously, what they do with their tight ends.
“I want to go to the league, so I definitely want to get some playing time. I wouldn’t care if I’m playing freshman year or not, redshirting or not. But I do want to play as early as I can.”
A FOUR-STAR RECRUIT FROM IDAHO
Brandon Huffman, the national recruiting editor for 247Sports, first saw Loveland in person at a 7-on-7 camp in Seattle last summer. He upgraded Loveland to a three-star prospect that day, and Loveland has climbed higher as he gets more and more looks.
Huffman described him as the rare tight end who can clear running lanes but also pose a true threat in the passing game.
“There are a lot of hybrid tight ends that are more big-bodied receivers that will never be able to block a linebacker in their life,” Huffman said. “And there are a lot of guys that are fantastic blockers that can’t run routes to save their lives. Colston is kind of a blend of a traditional, run-blocking tight end with a new-wave, pass-catching tight end.
“You see a lot of one or the other. You don’t see a lot of guys who can do both. And when you do, that’s why Alabama comes calling.”
That type of talent is rare in Idaho, but not unheard of. Since 2002, the state has produced four four-star recruits, according to the 247Sports database: Highland defensive lineman Tommy Togiai (2018, Ohio State), Coeur d’Alene quarterback Colson Yankoff (2018, Washington/UCLA), Highland offensive lineman Tristen Hoge (2015, Notre Dame/BYU) and Eagle quarterback Tanner Mangum (2012, BYU).
Loveland is the first to hail from outside the 5A classification, Idaho’s largest. That could lead to some questions about his competition level, especially in a state not known for cranking out high-level talent. But Huffman said those doubts are misguided.
“I’ve had Pac-12 schools tell me this in the past: ‘Yeah, we’re just worried about the competition level,’ ” Huffman said. “Well, that’s why Nick Saban wins the national championship every three or four years. He doesn’t give a crap where you’re from. If you can play football and help Alabama football, he’s going to go recruit you. I mean, he went and got a guy from New Zealand a few years ago.”
A RECEIVER CONVERTED TO TIGHT END
Loveland didn’t enter high school as a ready-made college prospect, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing 150 pounds. He worked his way into the varsity lineup that fall, then broke out as a sophomore wide receiver, making the 3A All-Idaho first team at 6-4, 190 pounds.
His frame and weight room dedication made it clear that his future wasn’t at wide receiver, Gooding coach Cameron Andersen said. So he approached Loveland and asked him what he thought of playing tight end.
Instead of balking at a less glamorous position, Loveland embraced it, Andersen said.
“He’s a special kind of kid where he wants to do whatever it takes for the team to win,” Andersen said. “You don’t see that with a guy with those kinds of offers all the time. He has every right to be the biggest jerk you’ve ever met, but he’s just one of the best kids that we’ve had. He’s just a great kid.”
Loveland excelled at his new position, making the 3A All-Idaho first team again last fall after racking up 69 catches for 816 yards and six TDs. Andersen pointed out that Gooding, with just 400 students, can’t afford a dedicated tight ends coach, leaving Loveland with limited instruction on the intricacies of his new position.
“That’s the thing that’s exciting about him,” Huffman said. “I don’t want to say he’s raw. He’s not raw. But he’s still developing at that position, and the guy is off the charts.”
ALABAMA ENTERS THE RACE
Idaho State extended the first Division I offer after Loveland’s sophomore season. But word quickly got out on a diamond in the rough, and offers from Utah State, Nevada, Utah, Oregon State and Arizona State rolled in last summer.
He continued to pick up steam in the fall, pulling in offers from Boise State and UNLV. And Arizona, UCLA and Colorado joined the party in 2021.
Alabama made its offer in March. Andersen said he spoke with former Crimson Tide tight ends coach Jay Graham, who told him that Loveland’s film jumped out among the top 50 tight ends in the country.
Andersen said Alabama initially hesitated on Loveland, preferring to wait until he attended a June camp in Tuscaloosa. But Andersen warned that Loveland might not wait that long to commit.
The musical chairs of commitments can move quickly. For example, UCLA offered him in January, then promptly received verbal commitments from two other top tight ends in the 2022 class. If Loveland waited until June, he might have limited offers.
So Alabama came calling with an offer the next day. That offer remains despite Graham’s resignination, and Loveland took a virtual tour of Alabama’s football facilities Sunday.
“He pretty much knows who is serious about him,” Andersen said. “You only get five official visits where they fly you in. Now, he’s to the point where everyone talks about it being crazy. … He’s at that phase where if he didn’t whittle it down, it would occupy all his time.”
Andersen said Boise State didn’t backed down once Alabama entered the picture.
“I was really impressed with what they said,” Andersen said. “They didn’t really care who offered him. They were going to recruit him. They want to keep an Idaho kid in Idaho.
“That hasn’t always been the opinion of the Boise State guys.”
LEVEL-HEADED DESPITE COLLEGE OFFERS
The national spotlight, constant Division I attention and a mountain of interview requests could overwhelm any teenager. But Andersen said he’s never worried about Loveland getting a big head.
He watched his brother, Cayden Loveland, go through the recruiting process before signing at Carroll College. And he witnessed all the ups and downs of former Gooding quarterback Shane Jennings’ courtship before signing with Eastern Washington.
Gooding hands out nine awards at the end of the school year. They all are based on single words that exemplify what it means to be a Senator, the school’s mascot. Teachers nominate students and select the winners, and they include awards like Perseverance, Integrity and Teamwork.
Loveland received the Kindness award at the end of last school year.
“All the leadership in the building, from the principal to teachers to janitors and kitchen workers, they just know he’s a good kid,” Andersen said. “He’s a nice kid. I’m really, really happy that he’s that way. He has every right to be something other than that, and he’s just not.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2021, 12:00 PM.
