From an eighth-grade all-star game… to the NFL spotlight.
Colston Loveland’s journey didn’t just come full circle this weekend — it came roaring back home.
Inside the ICCU Dome in Pocatello, Idaho, the crowd wasn’t cheering a Super Bowl champion or a seasoned pro.
They were celebrating a kid who once wore No. 80 in an eighth-grade all-state game — and never stopped believing.
On Saturday, that No. 80 jersey was officially retired.
Not his Chicago Bears No. 84.
Not his Michigan national championship No. 18.
Not even his Gooding High School No. 5.
The honor belonged to the jersey that started it all.
Idaho’s Son Returns
Eight years after dominating the 2017 Idaho All-State Game, Loveland walked to midfield as hundreds of youth players and families stood and applauded. His former high school coach, Cam Andersen, stood proudly beside him.
“I love him,” Andersen said simply. “Go, Bears!”
And just like that, a state shifted allegiances.
“We’re all going to be Bears fans now,” promised his younger brother, Cash — a wide receiver in this year’s eighth-grade showcase.
For Loveland, the moment wasn’t just nostalgic. It was grounding.
Because in Chicago, expectations are already massive.
The Weight of No. 10
Loveland was the Bears’ surprise pick at No. 10 overall in April’s draft — a bold move that instantly raised eyebrows across the league.
Was he worth taking over Penn State star Tyler Warren?
Can he be the game-changing tight end Chicago has been craving?
Will he justify the faith?
At 6-foot-6 and 240-plus pounds, Loveland looks like the prototype. He’s athletic, explosive, and already battle-tested at Michigan, where he capped his college career with a national championship alongside quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
But there’s one complication.
The Shoulder. And The Waiting.
Loveland underwent AC joint surgery on his right shoulder in January. That meant limited reps in minicamp and OTAs — not exactly how a competitor wants to start his NFL career.
“You always want to go out there and compete,” Loveland said. “But we have to take precautions and do it the right way.”
His mom, Rachel Faulkner, told a more emotional version.
“It was very hard for him to sit and watch,” she said. “He wanted to be out there.”
For a 21-year-old who has spent his life accelerating past expectations, being forced to slow down may be the toughest adjustment yet.
Growing Up — Fast
Loveland has lived away from home before. He enrolled early at Michigan at just 17, skipping prom and senior-year traditions in Idaho.
“That was harder for me than it was for him,” his mom admitted.
Now, he’s living alone in Lake Forest for the first time. Learning laundry. Getting waffles from mom during visits. Half-joking that he might need a girlfriend to help manage the house.
“That is not why you have a girlfriend,” his mom quickly corrected.
Even as he steps into NFL adulthood, the Idaho roots remain close.
Built Different
Back in eighth grade, Loveland was 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds.
By sophomore year in high school? 6-4 and nearly 200.
By the end of that season? 6-5, 230.
Now? 6-6, over 240 — a physical marvel.
But the size isn’t what made coaches believe.
It was the presence.
As a freshman, his JV coaches told the head coach:
“He can’t be here anymore. There’s nothing we can do for him.”
He was ahead of the curve then.
And Chicago is betting he still is.
Week 1: A Storyline Already Written
The Bears open the season hosting the Vikings — and J.J. McCarthy.
“That’s my guy,” Loveland said. “It’ll be exciting when we play them Week 1.”
From Michigan teammates to NFC North rivals.
You can’t script it better.
The Next Chapter
Loveland says everything he prayed for has come true.
But that was the easy part.
Now comes the proof.
Chicago doesn’t just want potential.
They want production.
Idaho believes in him. Michigan trusts him. The Bears invested heavily in him.
And if his rookie season explodes the way many quietly expect, that No. 80 ceremony in Pocatello will look like prophecy.
Because sometimes the journey doesn’t start in bright lights.
Sometimes it starts in a dome in Idaho.
And sometimes…
It ends in Soldier Field glory.
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