Colston Loveland Chicago Tight End talks Bears culture, embracing pressure, the Caleb Williams he knows, Ben Johnson’s energy, Green Bay rivalry, Harbaugh’s recruitment trip and reacts to being females' fan-favorite

“The entire team is bought in to Ben Johnson’s winning ways.” Coltson Loveland As we are getting close to wrapping our training camp tour, we caught up with Chicago Bears’ first-round pick who sits with Ryan and Channing for an honest, fun and wide-ranging conversation about his rise from a small-town young buck in Idaho to becoming one of the biggest names in college football at Michigan — and now, one of the NFL’s most intriguing playmakers. Colston takes us behind the scenes of the journey, the sacrifices and the moments that shaped him along the way. From Idaho hometown hero to winning a National Championship at Michigan with Jim Harbaugh to being selected as a first round draft pick to Chicago Bears. His name is rising quickly to the top of the NFL, he talks about feeding off the energy from Ben Johnson, the dawg mentality of his quarterback Caleb Williams and being apart of a roster determined to win at all costs. He recounts last season’s comebacks, his career high performance, the heated rivalry between Green Bay, Bears’ playoff run and the expectations the team has instilled on themselves to chase a Lombardi trophy this season. Colston gives his perspective on Johnson’s offensive mind, his coaching style and why players are excited about what he’s building in Chicago. He talks about Caleb’s unique ability to make plays that seemingly shouldn’t be possible, what it’s like developing chemistry with him and why the Bears’ offense has so much potential. Chicago and the NFL world has already embraced Colston — and apparently, so have the ladies As he acknowledges the attention that comes with being a young NFL star, his growing fan base and what it’s like adjusting to life in the spotlight while still continuing to prove himself on the field. To Colston, It's bigger than the draft status, the attention or the hype... It’s about his goals in the NFL, what he wants to accomplish in Chicago and the mindset required to bring championships to the city. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior like beer. It's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 0:30Ryan Clark?

  Coastin Loveland was born and raised in Idaho. Not exactly where you'd expect to find a top 10 ultra talented tight end. And certainly not one with R and B chops like this. After surgery following his junior season delayed the start he envisioned, the rookie showed why Chicago invested in him, becoming one of football's most productive tight ends over the second half of the 2025 season. We got into small town beginnings, Jim Harbaugh's recruiting visits to Idaho, Big Ten versus the SCC, and it's wild what he had to say about that. Football's best rivalries, specifically Michigan versus Ohio State and the Bears versus the Packers. Draft night with family and what it's like playing for Ben Johnson alongside star quarterback

• 1:15Ryan Clark?

  Caleb Williams. Loveland believes in himself because he believes in the work and that should give Bears fans plenty to look forward to. The Pivot came back through Tennessee to chop it up with one of them ones as Colston Loveland joined me and Chan on the Pivot Training Camp Tour. Oh, and by the way, congrats to the Pops, Freddie T. You convince yourself you're not that small while you're playing.

• 1:59Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, that's uh, that's Tony Gonzalez. Tony Gonzalez, eat my ass up.

• 2:04Speaker 03

  Coach, mismatch, coach, mismatch.

• 2:09Ryan Clark?

  Hey, you be talking bad about him in your head before you go to the game? He really ain't that cold. All he do is push off.

• 2:15Channing Crowder?

  Convince yourself, yeah.

• 2:17Ryan Clark?

  He got the hell on, didn't he? You gotta convince yourself, dawg.

• 2:20Speaker 03

  Get hands on right now.

• 2:22Ryan Clark?

  Well, man, Colston, man, welcome to the show. Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears tight end, Channing Crowder. I'm Ryan Clark. Freddie T, congrats to your daughter on getting married. We miss you, brother. All right, man, I gotta, I knew, and you probably have answered this question, dawg. But I want to know how a rookie tight end from Idaho knows an R and B song that came out the same year he was born?

• 2:43Speaker 03

  It's a great question, man. Shout out to my brother. My brother, he's three years older than me. He'd always be banging in high school and in college. I'd go up and see him at college. It was just like one of them songs. And when it came to the rookie talent show, it was like, all right, something everyone knows, something I can go up there and sing with confidence and it'll be good. It was a hit.

• 3:02Ryan Clark?

  Well, the big thing is you gotta make sure they sing it with you.

• 3:05Speaker 03

  Right, yep.

• 3:06Ryan Clark?

  You know what I'm saying? If they know it, they'll sing it with you. You ever heard what he did for his rookie show?

• 3:09Speaker 03

  What was that?

• 3:10Channing Crowder?

  I brought a stripper in for my head coach.

• 3:12Speaker 03

  How'd that go down?

• 3:16Ryan Clark?

  It went down.

• 3:18Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, it didn't go over well.

• 3:20Speaker 03

  The boys were loving it though, huh?

• 3:21Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I said, let me go last, I'm good. It ended the show.

• 3:25Ryan Clark?

  Man, where'd you get your soul from? Cause you, you got a little swag to you that I don't think Idaho brings to people.

• 3:33Speaker 03

  Yeah, man, I don't know. That's just like, uh, just my family, my friends, the way I was raised, I guess. I don't know. Definitely at Michigan.

• 3:40Ryan Clark?

  Was it Idaho or was it?

• 3:41Speaker 03

  I think it was a little bit of both, but once I got to Michigan, uh, my boys got me right for sure.

• 3:45Ryan Clark?

  Yeah. Man, for you though, you know, you talked about trying to put Idaho on the map in a different way. I think there was what, uh, I think Vander Esch went, you had two guys, two guys go first round, one to Chicago, one to Dallas before you. But even from a recruiting standpoint, I was disappointed in reading your story. You chose Michigan, Ohio State over going to the Iron Bowl when you were getting recruited?

• 4:10Speaker 03

  See, that's, we gotta talk about that. I got an offer from Bama, um, but you know how they just throw offers around, like no type of communication really. Uh, tight end coach got fired a week later. I wasn't hearing anything, so I'm like, all right, Michigan was showing the most love. Took a visit and it was like, Big Ten better than SCC. That's all. I'm playing, I'm playing.

• 4:30Channing Crowder?

  What's up? My face changed.

• 4:33Speaker 03

  No, no, it was the best fit for sure. Playing tight end, it was like a lot of heavy sets. Uh, yeah, just made sense.

• 4:39Ryan Clark?

  Obviously what Harbaugh did there was great for you, but getting an opportunity though to be a part of that rivalry, right? Michigan, Ohio State, uh, CJ, CJ Stroud is somebody we're tight with. The actual venom between the two fan bases and the players is a real thing. How important was it for you when that game did come around to play well?

• 5:01Speaker 03

  Yeah, no, a hundred percent. Like, I mean, every day out of the year on all the TVs and monitors in the building, it's what are you doing to beat Ohio State? Practice, you know, we're always bringing up their name. It's like, and people like to say like, you know, we're in their head, like Ohio State's in our head or whatever, but that's just what it is. I mean, rivalries, you know, we can win them all and if we lose that game, it means nothing. Um, so it was a big thing and I feel like I took, took hold of it early on. And yeah, once you have that game, it's like, man, you gotta ball out. This is the, the most viewers, everyone's watching this game right here, big noon, like it's time to go.

• 5:33Ryan Clark?

  Can I get some clarity on the Harbaugh visit to your house?

• 5:36Speaker 03

  Yeah, that, yeah, it was interesting. Uh, the town blew up, man. They knew, word spread fast. Uh, but yeah, he came out, he came out, he got in late, um, stayed at my grandparents' place. We got in, we were chopping it for a little bit.

• 5:49Ryan Clark?

  That's weird.

• 5:51Speaker 03

  I don't, I don't think it's weird, man. I think it showed, it, it kinda showed me like a guy like this willing to come out to Idaho for a three star recruit and you know, chop it up and do whatever, come work out with me in the morning. We woke up at 6:00 AM, went and worked out in his khakis and everything. I was like, all right, this guy's, this guy seems like he wants me and needs me, so I'm, you know, I'm, I'm all in.

• 6:11Ryan Clark?

  How did he get on your grandparents' couch?

• 6:13Speaker 03

  Uh, it was like, where I'm from, there's no hotels. Like in my town, there's maybe an inn, but you probably don't want to stay there. So it was like, stay on the couch. Or he might've slept on the, we might, we had a guest bed, I think.

• 6:26Ryan Clark?

  I mean, I think that, but that story is cool though, Colston, man, for you, because you obviously see as you progress on though, you see the athleticism, the ability to run routes, the straight line speed. So it wasn't that you were a three star recruit necessarily because you didn't have the talent. Does playing in a place like Idaho and understanding how difficult it would be to get the, the Coach Harbaugh's and the Alabamas to come there, put a chip on your shoulder that puts some of that work ethic in you?

• 6:55Speaker 03

  A hundred percent. Yeah, like growing up, like you said, like Vander Esch was one of the dudes who made it out and he was, he was from, uh, Riggins, which is like 200 people maybe. So it was like, all right, I've seen my brother, I've seen dudes who balled out in high school, get no type of looks. So it was like, all right, man, like let's try to change this. And like you said, the chip, it was like, all right, I wanna, I wanna be the guy that changes it, that gets, gets more eyes on Idaho, um, cause it's overlooked.

• 7:19Ryan Clark?

  Right.

• 7:20Speaker 03

  And then, yeah, once I did that, I feel like, and just obviously where I'm from, it's like very blue collar, very work for what you want, just like anywhere, but like you really gotta get it in. So yeah, even more so, I think that, that put a chip on my shoulder, leading into college and now the NFL.

• 7:33Ryan Clark?

  Cause I was, I was reading something about you and it talked about your sort of inquisitive nature of always asking questions. They say like in special teams meetings, you ask questions. You want to know what the wide receivers are doing. You want to know everything about your route, your blocking assignment. From a mental standpoint, why are you so dialed in to making sure you know not only what you have to do, but the people around you when you are such a high level athletic talent?

• 8:02Speaker 03

  Yeah, that's a great question. I think it's just, uh, first knowing the scheme and knowing what everyone's doing as a whole just helps me play faster. And with Coach Johnson, I mean, you could be at any position, anytime, I could get thrown in for special teams, even though I'm, you know, not playing right now. Um, so just knowing, and then overall, just knowing football, you know, sitting on my couch, watching a game, I can just be like, oh, this is, this is the stunt they did on punt return that we would do, you know, it's just, can never know enough, I feel like. And then being prepared, so when I go on the game day, it's just, I did all, I've done all I can, now let's go play fast.

• 8:32Ryan Clark?

  Was the, uh, physical and mental transition hard to leave Idaho football and now you're playing in the big house?

• 8:40Speaker 03

  It was a little different. I thought it was gonna be more so, um, cause like that was the top, you know, you're not playing competition. So then I did a seven on seven, went down, balled out in Texas against like, you know, some bigger teams. All right, this is just the same, you know, it's the same thing I've been doing my whole life. But then getting to Michigan, you know, you got some big D ends, you don't have a 150 pound DN anymore. You got some big, uh, big D ends, safeties, corners that can cover. So it was like, okay, but I mean, all it took was a couple of practices and I feel like I didn't really have like a welcome to the, you know, college moment. Uh, it was kinda just like, yeah, you got beat up, you lose reps. Um, but I think the transition went well and I think how Coach Harbaugh handled it and those coaches kinda eased me into it. And then, you know, mid freshman season, starting to get good burn, I think that really helped.

• 9:25Ryan Clark?

  How did you ease into the, the culture though, right? You, there was no more Brandon Cavs and barbed wire fences, right? And obviously Ann Arbor is not Detroit, right? So it's not that, that sort of necessarily culture shock, but the college life, especially for a division one football player can be a lot, right? There are parties now that, that are different. There are a number of people that you have not been around. Did you have to adjust in that way as well?

• 9:53Speaker 03

  Definitely a little bit, but I've always been outgoing, I'd say, loving to meet new people. And it's not like I haven't been outside of, um, Gooding, you know, I've taken trips and I obviously, but it was more so like our freshman class, like Will Johnson, Mason Graham, Kenneth Grant, like all of us were very close and that just made it easy for me, you know? It's like, all right, I'm just moving with these guys and we all just kinda clicked together and then, you know, figured out how to move through Ann Arbor and like you said, the party life and everything going on outside, but it was a pretty smooth transition.

• 10:22Ryan Clark?

  Well, it should've been pretty smooth because, you know, my algorithm on social media is football, football, football, right? And one time I'm looking at it and I'm like, why are these people just videoing Colston Loveland on the sideline? And then I learned, cause it's just a group of women that go to Chicago Bears games just to see you. And I don't think they know nothing about tight end play, Colston.

• 10:45Speaker 03

  No.

• 10:46Ryan Clark?

  So how have you dealt with some of the, uh, let me see how I've said, uh, some of the sex symbol, uh, that comes along now would be a Coastin Loveland started tight end of Chicago Bears?

• 10:56Speaker 03

  Yeah, it's, uh, it was crazy, especially when the video dropped or the, you know, the rookie premiere, it's like, man, hungry.

• 11:05Speaker 03

  But uh, but no, I mean, it's cool, whatever. I got a girlfriend.

• 11:09Ryan Clark?

  Right.

• 11:09Speaker 03

  Beautiful lady. Shout out my girl. Um, she's the best, but so that makes it obviously easy. But yeah, I mean, my mom, like, I see my mom in some comments or some stuff like, yo, what are you doing? Like, like this is like grown, married women, you know?

• 11:22Ryan Clark?

  Right.

• 11:23Speaker 03

  Are, are doing this. So it's all fun, but uh, yeah, yeah, that's what it is.

• 11:28Ryan Clark?

  Hey, well, moms gotta get in the comments. You know it's serious.

• 11:33Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends, like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra. Because it's not just a superior like beer, it's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 12:01Channing Crowder?

  Glad you brought up your girlfriend, Colston.

• 12:03Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 12:04Channing Crowder?

  Cause it seems like when you go to eat soft serve, you take the chocolate over the vanilla.

• 12:11Channing Crowder?

  I was proud of you.

• 12:11Speaker 03

  I don't discriminate.

• 12:15Channing Crowder?

  There's black folks in Gooding?

• 12:17Speaker 03

  Uh, maybe two or three.

• 12:20Channing Crowder?

  Oh, that was Michigan that got you.

• 12:21Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah.

• 12:25Ryan Clark?

  For you though, Colston, right? You talked about the transition to Michigan. The transition to the Chicago Bears was a little different. You were coming off of injury.

• 12:33Speaker 03

  Mm-hmm.

• 12:33Ryan Clark?

  Right? So you had a surgery and when you go, you're picked number 10, right? You're picked before Tyler Warren as well, cause it was kind of that conversation. And you got off to a little bit of a slow start to the season. What did you do to get through that time while you were kind of waiting on your opportunity to show who you truly could be?

• 12:52Speaker 03

  Yeah, it was tough. Uh, kind of not losing confidence, you know, but like, damn, you know, I'm not getting burned. I'm not really getting no opportunities. Didn't really have a full camp, full offseason. But it was just stay down, prayed, you know, I'm in my Bible. I'm just talking with God, like, you know, like, trust the process. I know, I know I'm gonna get my opportunity at some point, so prepare and be ready for it. Um, and like I said, like, obviously I wanted the Bears to do a great job of helping me get back right and easing me into stuff. Um, but then it was like, you know, that Bengals game or whatever game it was, it was like, all right, get a couple ops. I was like, okay, we're back, we're back balling, we're back doing what, you know, it's supposed to do. And from there, it kind of just.

• 13:29Ryan Clark?

  Talk a little bit about that game. I think it was, I think you had like six catches, 116. Uh, it was the big touchdown.

• 13:35Speaker 03

  Yep.

• 13:35Ryan Clark?

  Late in the game. How much pressure, or if there was any, how much pressure though, did that take off of you? Where you were like, okay, now I can start doing some of the things I know I'm capable of doing?

• 13:48Speaker 03

  Yeah, definitely, definitely took some off. And I don't love to like, think about pressure like that, but it's real for sure. Um, and knowing like, okay, like, let me quiet everyone down, you know what I'm saying? I'm, I'm here for a reason and I'm supposed to be here to do, do what I love and at a high level. Uh, so it felt good for sure. And then the main thing was just earning the trust from my coaches and teammates to know like, all right, we can put you in that situation and know that you can make a play.

• 14:09Channing Crowder?

  You played for two, you know, notably crazy coaches or passionate coaches.

• 14:15Speaker 03

  Definitely.

• 14:16Channing Crowder?

  Who, who is more competitive? Who is more wild? Is it Johnson or Harbaugh?

• 14:22Speaker 03

  It's tough to say. I mean, they're just so similar in a lot of ways, but different. And the age gap, I think, does, is something as well. But I, I think Ben is the cra- or Coach Johnson is the crazier. Like the, the look in his eyes, like especially if you mess a play up, like he's staring you down and letting you know, like, yo, this is, you know, he's intense and his on and off switch, like it's crazy. It's, he's, I don't think anyone loves football more than he does.

• 14:48Ryan Clark?

  Speaking of Ben though, man, you know, some of the, my favorite moments of him, because obviously when you break down film, you know, you saw it in Detroit and then you saw it continue to grow in Chicago, especially as he learned some of the chess pieces that were at his disposal. But like, I like a coach that I feel like he about that though.

• 15:08Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 15:08Ryan Clark?

  Right? A coach that when he walks out to the middle of the field, you like, hey, if it go down, it goes down.

• 15:13Speaker 03

  Yep.

• 15:13Ryan Clark?

  But what, what is it like, man, when you guys are in the locker room after a big win? You're all in the chant that he's taken from high school.

• 15:21Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 15:21Ryan Clark?

  And now brought it to Chicago. What is that vibe that he's now brought to this locker room? What does that do for your, for you guys and kind of the chemistry of your team?

• 15:31Speaker 03

  Yeah, it just, just buys it, like, we're just bought in, you know? And knowing, like you said, like this guy's in, I mean, he's in the facility, working out, putting 350 on his back, crazy depth. Like, he's doing it, you know? He's doing everything we're doing to a certain extent. So it's like, like, we're gonna ride with this guy. And like you said, after we win games, it's like, he's got everyone hyped up. First time he did it, we're all like, all right, like, you know, let's feel this out a little bit.

• 15:53Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 15:53Speaker 03

  Um, but instantly bought into it. And yeah, it's just like, he knows how to get a group, group of guys together, get behind him and, you know, all think the same and be the same and, you know, chase one, one uh, goal. And I think, uh, yeah, he's just, he's super special.

• 16:07Ryan Clark?

  Okay, so I'm gonna see how I can put this lightly. He and Matt LaFleur aren't the greatest of friends.

• 16:13Speaker 03

  Yep.

• 16:14Ryan Clark?

  We'll, we'll say that, right? And we were talking about rivalries earlier. From a NFL standpoint, like I always think to myself, especially when I played Pittsburgh, Baltimore, like there was an actual hatred, right? We wanted to go out and lay hands on folks. I feel like Green Bay and Chicago are like that too. And I'm not just talking about the coaches, the fan bases, the, the, the players, the, the, the cities. When it comes to those games, did you feel a heightened sense of intensity just around the organization when it's Green Bay Packers week?

• 16:51Speaker 03

  A hundred percent. Yeah, a hundred percent. Uh, and then especially, you know, when uh, Coach Johnson's like, he's, he's really about that too. Like, now this is how it's supposed to be, we should hate each other. This is what rivalry is about, you know? So uh, definitely, like, I, I would compare it to Michigan State. Obviously it's a different level.

• 17:08Ryan Clark?

  Right.

• 17:08Speaker 03

  But just like, that's all anyone talks about. You know, the owners, the GM, it's like, we gotta beat Green Bay, you know, we must beat Green Bay.

• 17:16Ryan Clark?

  With that being the situation with the rivalry, right? What you saying, everybody's like, beat Green Bay, beat Green Bay. Talk to me about the excitement of having your best game as a pro. The wild comeback against the Green Bay Packers in the wild card game. Y'all guys being able to cap that off. What was the energy like around the team after walking off of the field and that type of win?

• 17:40Speaker 03

  Yeah, that was crazy. Like, never been a part, first of all, I've never been a part of so many like comeback wins in close games, you know? In college, that doesn't happen like that. So seeing that and then that game, like, shout out uh, Coach Johnson. Like, that's the biggest thing, you know, finish, finish, finish. We work two minute more than anyone. We work end of game situations. And so we're comfortable, you know? And I mean, that was just like, all right, let's get the first one, you know, let's get the first touchdown, let's get the first. And then you start looking up and it's like, wow, we're really.

• 18:07Ryan Clark?

  Chipping away.

• 18:08Speaker 03

  In this thing. Yeah. Like, we're about to win this game. And then I don't, I forget which one it was, but we get the onside kick. Both those last two games, it's crazy. Get the onside kick, it's like, all right. They're, you know, they're scared now. We're, we're comfortable. We, we're right where we want to be. So let's go drive down here and, you know, and end this game off. Uh, it's, it was crazy. Yeah. Caleb doing what he's doing.

• 18:26Ryan Clark?

  That was gonna be like my next thing.

• 18:28Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 18:28Ryan Clark?

  Do, how much confidence do you guys have when it's like, bruh, if we put the ball in his hands with a chance to win, Caleb Williams gonna find a way to make a play?

• 18:37Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah, that's the truth. That's the truth. And it's like, running a route, knowing at any time, like, this thing can open up. He'll break the pocket. We can get a big scramble play. Like, it's just, yeah, crazy.

• 18:49Channing Crowder?

  Talking about your teammates, uh, Cole Comett, a dog.

• 18:53Speaker 03

  Dog.

• 18:53Channing Crowder?

  You, you a puppy.

• 18:54Speaker 03

  Dog.

• 18:55Channing Crowder?

  He a dog. But you a student of the game. So y'all know when y'all in them, them multiple tight end packages, y'all know where the ball's supposed to go.

• 19:02Speaker 03

  Yep.

• 19:02Channing Crowder?

  You would be like, hey, Cole, come on, let me get that. You know, no, no, no, no, no, no. Cause you said it's interchangeable way. Y'all know, y'all know what Ben is trying to do. Hey, man, let me run that seven.

• 19:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, we uh, a little bit, but we kind of both know like what, what it is, you know what I'm saying? Like this, this is what, you got this, I got this.

• 19:21Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 19:22Speaker 03

  Um, and I think we complement each other very well. But Cole, I mean, he was open arms when I first came in and just seeing how he works and how he handles, takes care of his body on the field, run game, pass that route, like everything he does. Like you said, he is, he is a dog. And I'm blessed to be able to have that guy in the room and many others as well. Um, but yeah, I think we both understand, you know, like what, what Coach wants and what we want out of this. Um, yeah.

• 19:47Channing Crowder?

  Cole, you look tired, bro. Let me get it. You look tired, man. Let me jump over there.

• 19:51Speaker 03

  Everyone's gotta eat, man. Everyone's gotta eat.

• 19:53Ryan Clark?

  Everybody gotta eat.

• 19:54Speaker 03

  Everyone's gotta eat.

• 19:56Speaker 00

  This episode is brought to you by Michelob Ultra. Good times mean competitions between you and your friends. Like seeing who can throw some pigskin the farthest or rush the field the fastest. Winner gets an ultra because it's not just a superior like beer. It's also giving fans superior access to their favorite sporting events. Superior is worth playing for. Visit michelobultra.com/superioraccess to enter. Enjoy responsibly. Copyright 2026 Anheuser Busch InBev Michelob Ultra Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.

• 20:25Ryan Clark?

  For, for you, bro, like you knew you were going to be a first round pick. Well, at least I did, right? And that was the conversation. And so many times people are like, man, are you going to go to the draft? Different things. Your backdrop for where you took your phone call is like, you know, I was waiting for one of the Duttons to walk out. Right? It felt like watching a scene from Yellowstone. Talk a little bit about that moment, man, being able to share it with those people who watched you grow, who, who helped you grow, who saw you on the form, who saw you in the weight room. Being able to share the moment of being drafted with them in person instead of having to be at the draft like that.

• 21:03Speaker 03

  Yeah, that was like before I even got to college, really, it was like, if like when I do get drafted, I'm, I gotta be home, you know? I think you get 11 spots. It's like, I got a huge family. Really, everyone in my hometown is like family, you know? So, so all right, we're going to do this at home. We're going to make sure everyone can come. And we had like probably 150, 200 people there.

• 21:25Ryan Clark?

  Okay.

• 21:26Speaker 03

  And we had to cap it off at that. And then we had an extra 400 at this country club that we, after I got drafted, we drove over, you know, had a party there. But it was, like you said, like they've seen me, they've seen me through it all and so much help and just so much, so many people that affected my life in a positive way and are, am the reason I'm here today. So I just wanted to share that. I wanted it to be, you know, it's about me, whatever, getting drafted, but it's really about us all. So let's all celebrate and, you know, let's have a good time.

• 21:51Ryan Clark?

  Nah, that's really cool.

• 21:52Channing Crowder?

  Yeah, that's what you said, when I get drafted, that's positive thinking.

• 21:56Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 21:56Channing Crowder?

  But when did you really know, oh, I'm about to get drafted?

• 21:59Speaker 03

  Yeah, I think end of freshman year in college, it was like, all right, I, I can do this.

• 22:04Channing Crowder?

  You can bowl.

• 22:05Speaker 03

  I don't know where, but I can make it to the next level.

• 22:08Ryan Clark?

  When you think about your, your freshman year, I think, you know, you didn't play, it wasn't like you got on campus and right away they're like, we gotta get this guy to bowl. We gotta get him, man. I think you had two touchdowns, maybe, maybe 16 catches. It wasn't, I think, so what made you feel that way after your freshman year that you felt like, oh, no, I can really do this?

• 22:27Speaker 03

  I had some good tight ends in front of me, Luke Schoonmaker, Eric All, a couple of other guys. So I was like, all right, I'm going to Michigan, big stage. I want to play in front of the, you know, most people, I want to do it big, knowing I might have to grind it on teams, maybe get a little bit of PT on offense. And then, you know, injuries happen, things, things change. And I got an opportunity, it was an Illinois game, like week seven, week eight. Had like 90 yards or something like that. And then next game, first TUD against O State, 50 yards or whatever. Then next game, uh, big TUD and a big 10 championship against Iowa, I think it was. So it was like, all right, I ended that season right, knowing like, all right, I can do this. And again, showing the coaches and my teammates, like, all right, this, this guy can make a play up when he needs to.

• 23:10Ryan Clark?

  The national championship, you know, it used to be that people in the SCC knew what that felt like. Last three years.

• 23:16Speaker 03

  It's crazy.

• 23:17Ryan Clark?

  We do not.

• 23:18Speaker 03

  It's crazy.

• 23:18Ryan Clark?

  Coach Harbaugh, though, going back to his alma mater, the way he represented the school, just the confidence that he instilled in you guys to win a championship, like you talked about it, bro. Will, Mason, right? Obviously all great players now in pros as well. To have that college experience where you do come from a small state, right? Like Idaho, but you get to do that on the biggest stage with one of the biggest universities in football. Talk a little bit about how that sort of punctuated the experience for you at Michigan.

• 23:53Speaker 03

  Like that's what you want to do, you know? You want to win state championship, you want to win national championships and Super Bowls. And it was like, first year I got there, like I said, we got to the big 10 chip, won that. And then that next year, sophomore year, like we had 10 dudes that could have probably got drafted or left. And they were like, no, listen, we're going to stay, we're going to go, you know, run this back and, and win this thing. And I think throughout that, Coach Harbaugh and all the coaches kind of figured out like we were, we were banging full pads freshman year. Like we're, we're going pretty hard. We had a lot of injuries. So all right, let's change this thing up. I think we all kind of figured out like what we got to do. So we hit that back stretch, you know, we can make it. And, and like you said, won it, had so many, I mean, so many good memories, so many people that I still, you know, keep in touch with to this day that are now in the league, get to see them at these joint practices and stuff.

• 24:37Speaker 03

  It was really a blessing. It was like, man, I really just like God sent me to Michigan. It is perfect. You know what I'm saying? Like get burned freshman year, win the championship, uh, national championship sophomore year, do all right, and then go to the league. So it was.

• 24:55Ryan Clark?

  For you, man, I remember when I saw you at the wedding, obviously I'm always working. I was like, hey, man, I love you, but can I get you on the show?

• 25:01Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 25:03Ryan Clark?

  You know, when you walked away, I was like, he's the next one. And we were obviously at Travis's and Taylor's thing. And I was like, whether it's Travis Kelsey, whether it's Tony Gonzalez, whether it's Antonio Gates, right? That level of tight end. And you're also being mentioned now with the young tight ends who are excellent now, the Brock Bowers, right? Trey McBride's and now your name is a part of that, you know? Week nine through 18, think you were second in yardage. How has your expectations of yourself changed headed into year two?

• 25:36Speaker 03

  Yeah, I think, uh, like you said, just want to, I want to be the best, you know? I want to be the best at this position. And obviously I want, you know, the numbers and everything, that's, that's great. But at the end of the day, and I think this is what I learned at Michigan too, it's like we got, we got dogs all over. Everyone, like I said, everyone's going to eat. So if that means I don't get, you know, 1,200 yards or whatever it may be, uh, at the end of the day, it's about winning. And you feel a lot better winning a game than going crazy and losing a game, you know? So, yeah, the, the big expectation for me is to do my job at a high level, you know? Never have my guy in on the play in the run game, always make the catches when they come to me. And just control what I can control. But at the end of the day, it's about, always about the team for me, so.

• 26:17Channing Crowder?

  I wanted to ask, uh, you're rich. And but you have, you say you have 150 people at your draft party.

• 26:25Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 26:25Channing Crowder?

  And after the draft, you went to a party with 500 people.

• 26:28Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 26:29Channing Crowder?

  There gotta be a lot of hands out. There gotta be, you said it's a blue collar town. There gotta be a lot of hands out. How do you deal with that?

• 26:35Speaker 03

  It's really not, man. With that, that's what's crazy about it. You hear stories and friends that, you know, this happens to, a lot of people hit you up, man, can I get a couple bucks? Or whatever. And really for me, uh, it doesn't happen. And knowing, that's what's so special about, you know, where I'm from. It's like everyone is very happy with where they're at, what they're doing. They love their life and they just love to see, you know, a young kid that they, they knew and mentored or whatever, grow up and do that. And that's why, like when I'm always home, I always want to get everyone together, you know, have a, have a party, whatever, just, just mingle. But yeah, it's never been like that for me, you know? Maybe a couple here and there, but it's like, listen, man.

• 27:12Channing Crowder?

  I, I did all this work.

• 27:14Speaker 03

  Yeah, yeah. I love taking care of my people, but.

• 27:17Channing Crowder?

  Yeah.

• 27:17Ryan Clark?

  Aiden with this one.

• 27:19Speaker 03

  It turns into two texts, three texts.

• 27:22Ryan Clark?

  Hey, when you stop, when you stop really answering with words and it's just a face.

• 27:26Speaker 03

  Yeah, he sent a gift.

• 27:27Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, they already, they already know what it is. I want to ask you, man, how close are you to, man, doing some rodeo?

• 27:33Speaker 03

  Uh, so I did, people love to run with it, run with it. They make it seem like I was born on a horse, but uh, fourth, like fourth, fifth grade, third, fourth grade, something like that. All my cousins and family did rodeo. So we were considered like the, the city boys, you know, like we didn't, we just played ball, sports, wore like Osiruses and stuff. So, so I was like, all right, let's get into this country thing a little bit. And did it and realized like it was fun and, you know, it was a good time, but now I gotta buy horses, trailers, gotta do all this and kind of sacrifice football, basketball a little bit. So it was like, yeah, my brother and I were like, you know, we want, we want to do this, so.

• 28:09Ryan Clark?

  Yeah.

• 28:10Speaker 03

  But, but we, like we said, we got families, we can get that, that dose when we need it, but yeah.

• 28:14Channing Crowder?

  You gotta be too big getting a horse right now.

• 28:17Speaker 03

  Yeah, it is funny. Every time I go back home and, you know, we're branding calves or something, I'll get on a horse. It's like, wow. Yeah.

• 28:23Ryan Clark?

  Even the horse, even the horse turned around.

• 28:27Speaker 03

  Peter almost touched the ground.

• 28:28Ryan Clark?

  Your big ass off of me. Man, when you look at this team, a young head coach.

• 28:33Speaker 03

  Yeah.

• 28:34Ryan Clark?

  A young quarterback, young skilled players all over the place, great defense. How excited should Chicago Bears fans be about not only what this team this year can be, but what you guys can grow into if you continue to work the way that you have been working?

• 28:51Speaker 03

  Yeah, very excited. Like you said, we got a lot of tools and I feel like we got all the pieces. And it starts top down, obviously, GM, head coach, owners, but they should feel really good. We're working, we're out there working. I'd like to say a lot harder than a lot of teams, you know? We practice hard, we run to the ball, we finish, like those are big emphasis, so. Good things to come, hopefully, you know, God willing, but uh, yeah, shout out to the Bears fans, man. That's great, that's great.

• 29:16Ryan Clark?

  Well, man, we appreciate your time, bro. We know during camp is difficult and we were at practice today. I ain't gonna lie fam, I found like me a little spot in the shade and I just sat down and watched y'all offense. Cause to watch everybody, I had to be in the heat and that one happened.

• 29:29Speaker 03

  Yeah, it was, it was a banger today.

• 29:30Ryan Clark?

  Yeah, man, appreciate you, man. Best of luck, dawg. Yes, sir, no doubt.

• 29:35Speaker 03

  Major love. I appreciate you guys. Uh, 250, 52.

• 29:39Channing Crowder?

  That motherfucker's solid.