Mason Cole
| Michigan Wolverines No. 52 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle |
| Class | Junior |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake |
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | March 28, 1996 |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 292 lb (132 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Mason Cole (born March 28, 1996) is an American football player. He currently plays at the center position for the 2016 Michigan Wolverines football team.
Early years
Cole was born in 1996.[1] He grew up in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and attended East Lake High School.[1][2] He was a four-year starter for the East Lake football team and was a participant in the 2014 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was also a first-team all-state player in Florida during the 2013 season.[1] Cole's high school coach, Bob Hudson, said of him: "He's that guy, as a coach, that you want a whole team of. He does what he's supposed to do. He stays out of trouble. He's not late to meetings. He's not lazy. He's always moving. He's coachable. He can take criticism. He doesn't need praise every play. He's what you dream of as a coach."[3]
Michigan
Cole had scholarship offers from numerous universities, including Alabama, Florida, Florida State and Ohio State. In February 2013, he announced his verbal commitment to the University of Michigan.[4][5]
Cole enrolled early at Michigan in January 2014 at age 17. Cole was impressive in spring practice and in fall practice, leading to speculation that he might start as a true freshman.[6][7][8] Running back Justice Hayes said: "Mason is a phenomenal player, he is a freshman but he doesn't play like it at all. He plays like he's been there for a couple years."[9]
On August 30, 2014, at age 18, Cole became the first Michigan offensive lineman to start in the season opener of his true freshman season,[10] and the first to start at left tackle as a true freshman. Since true freshmen became eligible in 1972, only five have started any games on Michigan's offensive line: Bubba Paris (one game in 1978), Tom Dixon (one game in 1980), Dean Dingman (three games in 1987), Justin Boren (one game in 2006) and Kyle Bosch (three games in 2013).[8] In the 2014 season opener, Michigan backs set a Michigan single-game record with 9.7 yards per carry (350 yards on 36 carries), and the offensive line was credited with the outburst.[11]
Following the 2016 season, Cole was named to the All-Big Ten offensive second-team, by both the coaches and media.[12]
References
- 1 2 3 "Mason Cole". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 31, 2014.
- ↑ Bob Putnam (November 21, 2012). "East Lake LT Mason Cole's one part teddy bear, one part beast". Tampa Bay Times.
- ↑ Nick Baumgardner (August 27, 2014). "A player 'you dream of as a coach,' Mason Cole set to make history at Michigan". Mlive.com.
- ↑ Bob Putnam (February 25, 2013). "East Lake's Mason Cole picks Michigan". Tampa Bay Times.
- ↑ "New Michigan OL recruit Mason Cole is 'one terrific leader'". Detroit Free Press. February 26, 2013.
- ↑ "Michigan true freshman Mason Cole impressing in fall practice". The Michigan Journal. August 14, 2014.
- ↑ "Michigan freshman tackle Mason Cole, 18, playing like a veteran". The Detroit News. August 26, 2014.
- 1 2 "Mason Cole continues to impress, could be Michigan's first true frosh starting LT in modern era". Mlive.com. August 15, 2014.
- ↑ Mark Snyder (August 21, 2014). "Michigan freshman Mason Cole is standing out at left tackle". Detroit Free Press.
- ↑ Brendan Quinn (August 30, 2014). "Devin Gardner passes Tom Brady on Michigan TD list; Mason Cole becomes first freshman OL starter in opener". Mlive.com.
- ↑ Mark Snyder (August 31, 2014). "Michigan's offensive line keys offensive outburst vs. Appalachian State". Detroit Free Press.
- ↑ "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.