POCATELLO, Idaho — Colston Loveland’s jersey was retired here Saturday.
No, not his Bears No. 84. Not his Michigan No. 18. Not his Gooding High School No. 5.
Honored on this day was the No. 80 jersey he wore when he dominated the annual Idaho All-State Game for eighth-graders in 2017. Eight years later, the pride of the Gem State was cheered by youth football standouts and their families as he walked to the 50-yard line inside the ICCU Dome on the campus of Idaho State University, a two-hour drive due east from where he grew up.
“Today, we’re not just celebrating a career, we’re celebrating a journey,” the stadium announcer said. “A journey that started right here at the All-State Game. Colston, thank you for inspiring the next generation.”
Loveland’s high school coach, Cam Anderson, was at his side and imparted a brief message for all to hear.
“I love him,” Anderson said. “Go, Bears!”
That had a nice ring to it.
Colston Loveland had his Idaho All-State Game jersey retired today in Pocatello, before the eighth-grade game in which little bro Cash played. pic.twitter.com/xtZWAPU8K7
— Steve Greenberg (@SLGreenberg) June 22, 2025
“We’re all going to be Bears fans now,” promised Loveland’s little brother, Cash, a wide receiver in this year’s game.
A lot is riding on the shoulders of the Bears’ just-turned-21 tight end, a surprise pick at No. 10 overall in April’s draft. As Loveland sees it, he’ll be playing for all of Idaho. As Bears fans see it, he’ll be a game-changer or else what was the point? And as the football world sees it, proof will come one way or the other about who should’ve been the first tight end off the board, Loveland or the Colts’ pick at No. 14, Penn State’s uber-productive Tyler Warren.
“He’s a dang good player,” Loveland said. “Super good dude, too. He’s going to do well. He’s going to have a good career.”
And speaking of shoulders — Loveland had AC joint surgery on his right one in January, limiting his participation in minicamps and OTAs — it hasn’t been easy to hit the ground watching in the NFL. Not that Loveland admits as much.
“You always want to go out there and compete as a competitor and a football player,” he said. “But we have to just take precautions and do it the right way, take mental reps and stay in the playbook.”
His mom tells it differently, though.
“If anyone knows him, they know how much he wanted to be out there playing and practicing,” Rachel Faulkner said. “It was very hard for him to sit and watch and wait to recover. But he’s such a good kid, such a good guy, a team player. He’s going to kick butt for everybody.”
Loveland plans to live alone for the first time as a rookie.
“Everyone’s got to do it at some point,” he said. “The life aspect is always good as long as you keep the faith. Everything will work out.”
He still leaned on his mom on multiple trips to a laundromat during those first days in Lake Forest. She made him waffles, too — his favorite, let the record show. As Loveland looked around at the big home where he’ll be living, he surmised that he might need a girlfriend.
“That is not why you have a girlfriend,” Faulkner corrected him.
She laughed sharing that anecdote, but her worries about sending a 21-year-old into the world are relatively small. Four years ago, it was a much different story when she dropped Loveland off at Michigan as a 17-year-old early enrollee midway through what was supposed to be his senior year at Gooding.
“I didn’t want him to miss his prom, didn’t want him to miss his graduation, all the things,” she said. “But he handled it like a professional, didn’t miss a beat, didn’t seem homesick, made lifelong friends there, which is important. That’s a long ways away to send your 17-year-old, so I struggled. But I don’t think he struggled at all.”
One of those lifelong friends is J.J. McCarthy, the new starting quarterback for the Vikings, whom the Bears will host in the regular-season opener. They capped the 2023 season together with a national championship.
“That’s my guy,” Loveland said. “I hope he does well. It’ll be exciting when we play them Week 1, for sure.”
In eighth grade, Loveland was only 5-11 and 170 or so pounds. He — and everyone else — knew he was different, though. As a Gooding freshman, he was more like 6-1, 180 and played in two games before his JV coaches told Anderson, “He can’t be here anymore. There’s nothing we can do for him.”
Loveland began his sophomore year at 6-4 and pushing 200 pounds. By the end of it, he was 6-5 and 230.
He’s 6-6 and 240-plus now, a specimen.
“Everything I prayed for and dreamed of has worked out,” he said.
But “everything” is still to come. First up is the sort of rookie season that gets everyone talking, not just the folks here.
“Yes, sir, man,” he said. “I can’t wait. It’s going to be fun.”
