Mason Cole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
.jpg) Cole with the Michigan Wolverines in 2016 | |||||||
| Profile | |||||||
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| Position | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | March 28, 1996 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 298 lb (135 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Florida) | ||||||
| College | Michigan (2014–2017) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2018: 3rd round, 97th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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Mason Cole (born March 28, 1996) is an American professional football center. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, where he was twice named an All-Big Ten selection. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, playing there for three seasons. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cole 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]
College career
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. He 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] Following the 2017 season, Cole was again named to the All-Big Ten offensive second-team, by both the coaches and media.[13]
