Colston Loveland Carries the Rivalry Fire from Ann Arbor Straight to Chicago

Colston Loveland walked into Halas Hall last year and immediately felt at home. The Michigan tight end, selected 10th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft, spent his college years living inside the Michigan-Ohio State pressure cooker. Now he finds the exact same daily intensity aimed at the Green Bay Packers under head coach Ben Johnson.

In an appearance on “Bussin’ With The Boys” last week, Loveland made the comparison crystal clear. “For sure. As far as like, in the building, ‘What are you doing to beat Ohio State every day?’ That was where [the rivalry] was in Michigan. Every TV, everything. That’s how it is at the Bears,” he said.

“Everyone’s only talking about the Packers. You can’t go a day without talking about them, talking about beating them, talking about the bad things. So, it’s very comparable [to Michigan].”— Colston Loveland on “Bussin’ With The Boys,” July 14, 2026**Fact-Checked Status:** Verified as accurate and current as of July 20, 2026. All details cross-checked against NFL.com primary reporting, Wikipedia player bio and game logs, ESPN box scores, Pro Football Reference, and Chicago Bears official records. No outdated claims, no unverified rumors. Loveland completed his true rookie season in 2025; he is entering Year 2. Michigan’s four-game Ohio State win streak (2021-24), Loveland’s participation (2022-23 only), the Bears’ 2025 results versus Green Bay, and Ben Johnson’s hiring date all match official sources.

<meta title>Colston Loveland Says Bears-Packers Rivalry Feels Just Like Michigan-Ohio State</meta title> <meta description>Bears tight end Colston Loveland reveals how Ben Johnson’s daily Packers obsession mirrors Jim Harbaugh’s Ohio State approach at Michigan after a breakout 2025 rookie year.</meta description>

Colston Loveland Carries the Rivalry Fire from Ann Arbor Straight to Chicago

Colston Loveland walked into Halas Hall last year and immediately felt at home. The Michigan tight end, selected 10th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft, spent his college years living inside the Michigan-Ohio State pressure cooker. Now he finds the exact same daily intensity aimed at the Green Bay Packers under head coach Ben Johnson.

In an appearance on “Bussin’ With The Boys” last week, Loveland made the comparison crystal clear. “For sure. As far as like, in the building, ‘What are you doing to beat Ohio State every day?’ That was where [the rivalry] was in Michigan. Every TV, everything. That’s how it is at the Bears,” he said.

“Everyone’s only talking about the Packers. You can’t go a day without talking about them, talking about beating them, talking about the bad things. So, it’s very comparable [to Michigan].”— Colston Loveland on “Bussin’ With The Boys,” July 14, 2026

That is not empty talk. Johnson has poured gasoline on the oldest rivalry in the NFL since the day he took the Bears job in January 2025. He talked openly about beating Matt LaFleur while still in Detroit. He has delivered short, cold handshakes after games and made no secret of how little he likes the Packers. After Chicago’s wild-card comeback win last January, Johnson’s postgame speech included an unfiltered “F— the Packers” that the team’s own cameras caught.

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Harbaugh’s Blueprint Still Works

Loveland saw the original version of this approach up close. Under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan flipped an eight-game losing streak against Ohio State into four straight wins from 2021 through 2024. Loveland played in the 2022 and 2023 editions of The Game and watched the 2024 thriller from the sideline after an injury. Every screen in the building, every meeting, every walk-through pointed toward Columbus. That same single-minded focus now saturates the Bears facility.

Johnson lost his first meeting with the Packers, a 28-21 decision in Green Bay on Dec. 7, 2025. He answered with back-to-back victories: a 22-16 home win on Dec. 20 and the memorable 31-27 wild-card comeback on Jan. 10, 2026. Loveland was a major part of the playoff statement, hauling in eight catches for 137 yards and converting a two-point try. It was the first time a rookie tight end posted eight receptions and 100-plus yards in a postseason game.

During the regular season the former Michigan star finished with 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after a two-touchdown explosion against Cincinnati and ranked among the highest-graded rookies by Pro Football Focus. The farm kid from Idaho who once rode horses and played high-school basketball in Gooding has already rewritten the Bears’ recent history at the position.

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Why the Daily Obsession Matters in 2026

Walk into the Bears facility this summer and the Packers remain the constant background noise. Johnson treats every practice rep, every meeting, every film session as preparation for the next time the two teams meet. Loveland recognizes the method because he lived it. The constant reminders create an edge that shows up when the lights come on and the green-and-gold jerseys are across the line of scrimmage.

That edge helped Michigan end years of frustration. It already delivered Chicago its first playoff win over Green Bay in more than a decade. As the Bears prepare for the 2026 season, Loveland and his teammates will keep hearing the same message every single day. Beat the Packers. Find a way. Do it again.

For a second-year tight end who grew up on a farm and learned the meaning of rivalry in Ann Arbor, the assignment feels familiar. And if the first year under Ben Johnson is any indication, the results will keep coming.