Cole Cabana (born December 19, 2004) is an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

for the

Western Michigan Broncos The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's coll ...

. He previously played for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except wo ...

, and was a member of their

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

team in 2023.

Early life

Cabana was born on December 19, 2004, the son of Mike and Holly Cabana. His father Mike was a

for the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

national champion 1994 Albion Britons football team. Cabana attended Dexter High School in

Dexter, Michigan Dexter is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 4,500. Established in 1830 as a village, Dexter was incorporated as a city on November 20, 2014. History On Mar ...

. As a junior in 2021, he rushed for 1,688 yards with 24 touchdowns and added 368 receiving yards with four touchdowns. As a senior in 2022, he led the team to a 12–1 record and tallied 2,434 all-purpose yards and 36 touchdowns, including 1,518 rushing yards (27 touchdowns), 472 receiving yards (six receiving touchdowns), and 444 return yards (three return touchdowns). He was rated by

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and

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

as the No. 2 player in Michigan. He was also rated as one of the top running backs in the country, receiving the No. 5 ranking by Rivals.com and No. 6 by ESPN. Cabana also competed in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

at Dexter, and was twice selected as an All-American sprinter.

College career

Michigan

In February 2022, Cabana committed to play college football for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

team. He enrolled early at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in December 2022. In 2023, as a freshman Cabana saw limited action during Michigan's national championship season, carrying the ball twice for six yards. In 2024, Cabana did not see any playing time or accumulate any statistics. On December 6, 2024, Cabana announced via social media that he entered the

NCAA transfer portal The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is i ...

Western Michigan

On December 15, 2024, Cabana originally committed to transfer to the

Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college athletics, college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 21 (9 men's, 12 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and com ...

. On December 29, Cabana reversed his decision and transferred to

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a Public university, public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. B ...

, staying in his home state to play for the

Broncos A bucking horse is any breed of horse, male or female, with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for ro ...

. He has three years of eligibility remaining after using a redshirt year.

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cabana, Cole 2004 births Living people American football running backs Michigan Wolverines football players People from Dexter, Michigan Players of American football from Washtenaw County, Michigan