It’s not one of the more glamorous positions for the Ohio State Buckeyes, but the tight end group was an underrated part of last year’s national championship run. From Gee Scott Jr., kicking off the Rose Bowl with a 30-yard catch off a fake screen, to Will Kacmarek, being an impressive run blocker, the tight ends are often underappreciated. Considering that since Ryan Day took over as head coach, only one tight end managed more than 400 yards (Cade Stover, 2022 and 2023), it’s obvious the Buckeyes don’t utilize the position as receivers. At the same time, why throw to tight ends when you have a wide receiver room of four and five-star freaks of nature?
Heading into Spring practice, the tight ends will look a little different.
A New Face is Set to Lead the Ohio State Tight Ends
To the Max
With Scott off to the NFL, Day and company decided to bring home Cincinnati native, Max Klare. After three seasons with Purdue, Klare jumped into the portal with the firing of the Boilermakers’ head coach. Last year, he broke out to the tune of 685 yards and four touchdowns off 51 catches. He led Purdue in all three and was the offense. Remember the last time an Ohio State tight end put up 685 yards in a single season? Probably not, considering it’s never happened. Two tight ends eclipsed 600 yards: Billy Anders in 1966 and John Frank in 1941.
Expecting Klare to put up 600 yards in an offense with Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate would be the dictionary definition of optimistic. At the same time, Klare offers something that the Ohio State tight ends haven’t had in some time. He’s a matchup nightmare, is patient when running his routes, and can get a good chunk of YAC. Klare isn’t just a big-bodied receiver ala Mike Gesicki for the Cincinnati Bengals, he is a willing and able blocker.
He earned the respect of Buckeye defenders in the 45-0 win over Purdue. Lathan Ransom encouraged the staff to target Klare, who he believes can be the best tight end in football. Tight ends coach, and now co-offensive coordinator, Keenan Bailey did not take that lightly. He went so far as to ask Kacmarek and Bennett Christian whether or not the Buckeyes should add. Neither player batted an eye, and both were fully on board. Last year, Day asked TreVeyon Henderson of the program’s pursuit of Quinshon Judkins and the rest is history.
All Hands on Deck
Last year, seven tight ends got on the field at any point. Four of those Ohio State tight ends amassed at least 165 snaps. Scott’s departure frees up nearly 550 snaps. Meanwhile, Patrick Gurd transferred out to Cincinnati.
Klare and Kacmarek will likely lead the Buckeye tight ends this year. Kacmarek has emerged as a leader and a guy willing to do whatever it takes to get onto the field. He’s the unit’s go-to run blocker, and he’s one of the better tight ends the Buckeyes have had in that regard.
From there, it gets muddy. Jelani Thurman has been right there, chomping at the bit. The son of a former NFL player is incredibly talented and is a legitimate receiving threat. He only managed four catches for 42 yards and a score. His 19-yard bobbled catch against Penn State on fourth down looked like it was going to set up a touchdown drive before Will Howard fumbled at the one.
Christian was the fourth tight end last year and notched 235 snaps. Of those, he hauled in a pair of passes for 61 yards and caught Julian Sayin‘s first career touchdown.
Max LeBlanc was a true freshman and preserved his redshirt. The expectations are still there for the former four-star recruit. He was the 15th-best tight end in the class and could very well be molded into a Klare successor. Both players are six-foot-four and 225 pounds, and both are effective receivers.
Main Image: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
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