Cade Stover is the best tight end in the Big Ten.
On Wednesday, the Big Ten named Stover the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year for his performance in 2023. Stover also received first-team All-Big Ten honors with Marvin Harrison Jr., TreVeyon Henderson, Donovan Jackson and Josh Fryar.
Stover is the first Buckeye to win the Kwalick-Clark Tight End of the Year award, named after Big Ten legends Ted Kwalick (Penn State) and Dallas Clark (Iowa). Former winners of the honor include Troy Fumagalli (Wisconsin), T.J. Hockenson (Iowa), Pat Freiermuth (Penn State) and Sam LaPorta (Iowa), among others.
Stover has been Ohio State's second-best pass-catcher this season behind Harrison (67 receptions, 1,211 yards, 15 total touchdowns) with 41 receptions for 576 yards – the third-most ever in a single season for an Ohio State tight end – and five touchdowns in 11 appearances. He’s set several career-high marks in 2023, including seven catches in Ohio State’s wins over Notre Dame and Michigan State and 98 receiving yards in the Buckeyes' win over Indiana.
In addition to his Big Ten recognition, Stover is a finalist for the John Mackey Award with Brock Bowers (Georgia) and Dallin Holker (Colorado State). The award's winner will be announced on Dec. 8 at The Home Depot College Football Awards Show on ESPN. At the event, Bowers could become the first-ever two-time winner of the Mackey Award, while Stover will look to become Ohio State’s first-ever winner of the award, which honors college football’s best tight end.
A two-time captain for the Buckeyes, Stover could return for another season with a COVID-19 waiver. However, Stover walked on Ohio State's Senior Day and, after he entertained the NFL draft last season, looks poised to become a top-75 pick in 2024 after what has been a career year for the 6-foot-4, 251-pound pass-catcher.
