Colston Loveland is now one of the most impressive young tight ends in football, as he has only recently been drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
The Michigan star shredded apart the Big Ten with his athletic stats, hands, and route running, but behind that success is a quiet strength within a family rooted in small-town Idaho. But who are his parents?
From Ranch to Round 1: The Family Behind Colston Loveland
Like most elite athletes, Loveland’s journey is intricately linked to the influences of their parents, Chad Loveland and Rachel Faulkner, to whom he owes a lot in making him such a person and player.
Born April 9, 2004, Colston was raised in Bliss, Idaho, a small ranching community that taught hard work and humility from his early years. He grew up with wide-open fields and the kind of blue-collar grit that has become his trademark on the football field.
Chad Loveland, Colston’s father, runs a ranch supply and has been a consistent shadow in Colston’s life, both as a role model and a support structure.
As Chad instilled such a work ethic into his son, Colston learned the value of things by the right-way-no-shortcuts phrase because he would often be assisting with ranch chores for hours.
Mother Rachel Faulkner has been equally significant. A top-notch athlete herself, Rachel brought the competitive edge and brought in those steady emotional supports within the Loveland household. Moreover, he told Colston about staying grounded and disciplined, which were seen later in high school and at a national level at Michigan.
Colston’s parents were the biggest cheerleaders for him, not in the context of football, but generally in life, as he told in many interviews.
Colston played high school football at Gooding High School. He was also a tremendous player in basketball. He finished his senior year with 89 receptions for over 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Even though he came from a tiny school, his athleticism could not be ignored —it eventually earned him a four-star ranking and scholarship offers from all over the United States.
Usually, Chad and Rachel sat on the sidelines in almost every game they could, driving for hours to make it work. Whether in a crammed dome or an Idaho field filled with frost, they could always be found cheering on their son.
After signing up for Michigan, Colston quickly became one of the essential cogs in the Wolverines’ offense. By his sophomore season, he was already a household name in college football circles, a reliable target with dangerous big-play ability.
Ever the celebrity, Colston was grander than all the hype, yet he would never forget his roots. He always referred to the lessons learned in Bliss: those long ranch days, the sacrifices made by his parents, and the importance of remaining humble and hungry.
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He is now moving to the NFL, but this journey is not an individual destination but directed towards the people who put him here. Chad and Rachel Loveland’s life threads can be found in every step of Colston’s football journey. Tireless work and composing oneself under pressure are very much of his upbringing.
It’s the biggest cheering crowd for Colston and his direction as he begins this next phase with the NFL. Bliss, Idaho, to the pros (Loveland family-style): belief, sacrifice, and unshakable support.
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