Junior Colson (born December 6, 2002) is a Haitian-American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, winning three consecutive Big Ten Conference titles and a national championship in 2023. He also won the Lott Trophy and was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Colson was selected by the Chargers in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.
 Colson with Michigan in 2024 | |||||||
| No. 25 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | December 6, 2002 Mirebalais, Haiti | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 238 lb (108 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Ravenwood (Brentwood, Tennessee) | ||||||
| College: | Michigan (2021–2023) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 3 / pick: 69 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||
| |||||||
Early life
editColson was born in Mirebalais, Haiti. His father died when he was seven years old, and he was placed in an orphanage in Port-au-Prince operated by his uncle. At age eight, he met Americans Steve and Melanie Colson who visited Haiti on a church mission after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He was adopted by the Colsons and, after a lengthy adoption and immigration process, moved to Tennessee at age nine in May 2012.[1][2][3] He recalled that, on arriving at the airport in the United States, "The first thing I saw in America was a Michigan hat. That's what all of my family members were wearing, they're big Michigan fans."[4]
Colson grew up speaking Haitian Creole and learned English only after moving to Tennessee. He also grew up playing soccer and took up American football, playing linebacker at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Considered a four-star recruit by the 247Sports Composite rankings, Colson was rated as a top 100 player in the nation, the #10 overall linebacker, and the second best player in Tennessee in 2021. Colson met Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh at a football camp and was offered a scholarship. He committed to play college football at the University of Michigan, over offers from LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Oregon and Tennessee.
College career
edit
Colson enrolled at the University of Michigan in 2021 and started seven games as a true freshman. He totaled 60 tackles (fourth most on the team), and earned his first career sack on November 13, 2021, in a 12 tackle performance versus Penn State. He was selected as a Freshman All-American.[5][6]
As a sophomore, in 2022, Colson started all 14 games, recording a team high 101 tackles and 2 sacks. He was voted second team All-Big Ten by the coaches. In the Big Ten Championship Game victory versus Purdue, Colson recorded a career high 15 tackles.[7]
As a junior, in 2023, Colson started all 15 games and led the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship with a team high 95 tackles.[8] Colson was named Second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and media.[9] He also won the Lott IMPACT Trophy.[8][10]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄4 in (1.89 m) |
238 lb (108 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | |||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Colson was selected 69th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft.[13]
References
edit- ^ Sang, Orion (June 27, 2020). "Father's dying wish made him an orphan. Now he's Michigan football's best linebacker recruit". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ McMann, Aaron (May 17, 2022). "Michigan X-factor: LB Junior Colson, who 'really has it all'". Mlive.com. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Meek, Austin (May 20, 2022). "From Haiti to Ann Arbor, Michigan's Junior Colson knows how to adapt". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Breiler, Christopher (June 2, 2022). "Junior Colson's Incredible Journey To Michigan". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Junior Colson". University of Michigan. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ Hole, Isaiah (August 12, 2022). "Junior Colson more comfortable, playing faster as he enters his second season with Michigan football". Wolverines Wire. USA Today. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Junior Colson". University of Michigan.
- ^ a b "Lott IMPACT® Trophy – 2023 Winner Michigan's Junior Colson - Lott IMPACT® Trophy". lottimpacttrophy.org. December 10, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ Al-Khateeb, Zac (November 28, 2023). "Big Ten all-conference football team: Defense, special teams selections for 2023 season". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ Garcia, Tony (December 11, 2023). "Michigan football's Junior Colson earns prestigious honor as Lott IMPACT Trophy winner". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Junior Colson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Junior Colson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
- ^ Alper, Josh (April 27, 2024). "Jim Harbaugh, Junior Colson will be reunited with the Chargers". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
External links
edit