GOODING, Idaho — Gooding native Colston Loveland is making his mark in the NFL, and his hometown couldn't be prouder.
The Chicago Bears tight end was named the league's Rookie of the Week just last week, capping off what has been a stellar debut season in professional football.
In Saturday's comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers, Loveland hauled in eight receptions for 137 yards, further cementing his status as an emerging NFL superstar.
WATCH: Gooding neighbors react with love as Colston Loveland shines in NFL rookie season with the Chicago Bears
From Keller Field in Gooding to the legendary Soldier Field in Chicago, Loveland's football journey has inspired his former teammates and coaches who watched him develop into one of Idaho's most successful athletes.
"He had 16 receptions in one game in high school," said Cameron Anderson, Loveland's former head coach at Gooding High School. "The dude will catch the football, and he'll get the job done."
Loveland's path to NFL stardom began in Idaho, where he was named the Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021. He then went on to win a national championship with the University of Michigan in 2023 before being selected as a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
RELATED | Idaho-native Colston Loveland wins NFL Rookie of the Week
The rookie tight end recently broke Chicago Bears legend Mike Ditka's rookie reception record, setting a new standard for Idaho athletes on the national stage.
"I think it means a lot for every Gooding kid and everybody else, it shows that it's not impossible," said Eli Esterbrook, who watched Loveland play during his high school career.
Gage Johnson, who was in eighth grade when he first saw Loveland play as a freshman, believes the NFL star has broken down barriers for small-town athletes.
"I think he broke down a lot of barriers because a lot of people thought that coming from small-town Idaho— that you can't really do much, but he kind of showed that you could go play Division 1 sports anywhere you want," Johnson said. "You can go to the NFL and be the 10th pick."
Jakobe Mullins-Edwards, a former teammate and childhood friend, takes pride in having played alongside Loveland at Gooding High School.
"It's a pleasure even saying his name. Playing with him and playing on this field with him— especially on Keller Field was amazing— he's a big guy, you can hardly miss him," Mullins-Edwards said.
For Loveland's family, watching him achieve his NFL dreams has been surreal. His younger brother Cash, now a freshman at Gooding High School, said the success means everything to their family.
"It means a lot. My parents are obviously super proud. It's insane to think about your son being in the NFL— just crazy," said Cash Loveland. "It's a dream come true, not only for him, but for our whole family."
According to Anderson, there was no secret formula to Loveland's success – just hard work and dedication.
"For him it wasn't a hard decision to work out multiple times a day or to eat the right things or sacrifice his senior basketball season or any of the choices he made to get to where he was at. It was just a really easy decision for him because he had an absolute understanding that to achieve anything, there comes sacrifice; just very disciplined in what he did, and you can see that in the NFL," Anderson said.
Anderson believes Loveland has created a blueprint for future Idaho athletes with NFL aspirations.
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"It's a path. Because there just aren't a lot of stories like that— especially in a state as small as ours— it's really upgraded our ability to get kids to do really hard things, because through hard things is where true goals are achieved," Anderson said.
Loveland and the Chicago Bears will continue their playoff run when they take on the Los Angeles Rams in Chicago on Sunday.
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