Michigan on preseason watch lists: Drake Nugent, A.J. Barner, Colston Loveland receive honors
Michigan Wolverines football has 11 players on watch lists for major college football awards, including three who were announced Friday. Senior tight A.J. Barner and sophomore Colston Loveland have been named to the Mackey Award watch list for the nation’s top tight end. Meanwhile, graduate Drake Nugent was tabbed to the Rimington Trophy watch list (country’s best center). Nugent also appeared on the Outland Trophy watch list (best interior lineman).
A team captain at Indiana before transferring to Michigan this offseason, Barner caught 42 passes for 361 yards and 4 touchdowns in three seasons with the Hoosiers. He started nine of his 30 career games.
Loveland broke out for Michigan at the end of last season. He played in 14 games with five starts, racking up 16 catches for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns. His season was highlighted by scoring touchdowns at Ohio State and versus Purdue in the Big Ten championship. He also set a career best with 4 grabs in the CFP semifinal against TCU.
Michigan had two Mackey Award watch list members heading into the 2022 season in Erick All and Luke Schoonmaker. Schoonmaker was a second-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys, while All transferred to Iowa.
The Wolverines have had one Mackey Award winner in history — Jake Butt in 2016.
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A Stanford transfer, Nugent earned All-Pac-12 honorable mention honors each of the last two seasons. Per PFF, he was charged with allowing just 4 sacks in that span, logging 993 pass-blocking snaps. He played in 27 career games with 24 starts as a member of the Cardinal.
Last season, Michigan center Olusegun Oluwatimi became the third Wolverine in history to win the Rimington Trophy, joining David Baas (2004) and David Molk (2011). With three selections a piece, U-M, Ohio State and Alabama are the only three schools with multiple Rimington Trophy winners since the award began being handed out in 2000.
Michigan players on preseason watch lists
• John Mackey Award (best tight end) — A.J. Barner, Colston Loveland
• Rimington Trophy (best center) — Drake Nugent
• Lou Groza Award (best place kicker) — James Turner
• Bronko Nagurski Trophy (best defensive player) — Junior Colson, Kris Jenkins, Rod Moore
• Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) — Kris Jenkins, Trevor Keegan, Drake Nugent, Zak Zinter
• Maxwell Award (most outstanding player) — Blake Corum, J.J. McCarthy
• Patrick Mannelly Award (best long snapper) — William Wagner
