A national champion and two-time All-Big Ten linebacker at Michigan, Junior Colson reunited with coach Jim Harbaugh when the Chargers drafted him in 2024.
Junior Colson anchored the middle of a Michigan defense that won a national championship, and the Chargers brought him to Los Angeles to run their linebacker corps under his old college coach, Jim Harbaugh. He is still working to establish himself as a full-time starter at the NFL level.
Path to the league
Colson started all 15 games for Michigan's perfect 2023 national championship team, leading the Wolverines with 95 tackles that season and earning two-time All-Big Ten recognition. The Chargers drafted him in the third round (69th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft, reuniting him with Jim Harbaugh, his college head coach, and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Career highlights
As a collegian, Colson recorded 10 tackles in Michigan's Rose Bowl win over Alabama and six more in the College Football Playoff national title game against Washington, capping a career built on downhill physicality and toughness that made him a top-ranked linebacker prospect in his draft class.
2025 season recap
Colson's rookie 2024 season saw him appear in 11 games with one start, totaling 29 combined tackles and a pass defended, as he worked to carve out a larger role in the Chargers' linebacker rotation. Detailed 2025 statistics were not available at publication, but he remained on the Chargers' active roster into the 2026 offseason.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Junior Colson
- Chargers.com: Junior Colson player profile
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | chargers | 11 | 29 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Michigan
- Hometown
- Mirebalais, Haiti
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
