GOODING, Idaho — It is a dream for so many young football players to play in the NFL. Colston Loveland from Gooding not only has a chance, but he’s also projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. I met with his high school coach and younger brother, who can’t wait for April 24.
I asked Gooding High School Head Coach Tanner Baumann this, “When did you and your coaching staff know that Colston was a special player?"
I knew he was special right away," Baumann said. "We were just hoping we could put him on JV. I think after the first game, we decided he had to go up so he played one or two JV games in his entire high school career and never saw a JV game again from the field and the court, just in the stands.”
At the time, Gooding head football coach Tanner Baumann was a position coach and Colston’s basketball coach and says he wishes everyone could see how nice of a person he is off the field. “As much as I want to say Gooding got him there, Colston got himself there by going to camps, getting that exposure and playing well.”
The talk of Loveland going on to play tight end in college was constant, which included calls from college giants Alabama, LSU, and Auburn. “It just stockpiled and built up so fast like from Utah to Alabama."
But things got real serious the day that Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh came to Gooding and met with Colston and his family. “The fact that Harbaugh was here meeting Colston’s friend and other students was pretty special.”
I asked Colston’s younger brother Cash to give me his scouting report on his older brother. “Do you think as his brother he has potential to being a Travis Kelce-type player in the NFL?"
"Yeah, being his brother, I’m a obviously going to be a little bit biased," Cash replied. "But yeah, I think he can be a great tight end.”
I asked Baumann what this means to the community of Gooding, "I just think that if you’re a kid in Gooding and you see someone successful at the highest level and get that recognition, it kind of gives you hope."
You can watch the first round of the NFL draft on April 24th at 6 pm right here on Idaho News 6.
