Ohio State received near-universal praise from national critics for its additions via the transfer portal in the offseason.
There were big-splash additions highlighted by Caleb Downs, Will Howard and Quinshon Judkins.
But one of the more underrated moves was securing a blocking-first tight end from Ohio University: Will Kacmarek.
“Will’s doing great,” Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey said Tuesday. “He came in being a blue-collar guy. We watched everyone out there who was in the portal, and he was he was a guy who showed toughness in everything he did. So he was already a tough guy, kind of took pride in blocking. I think the biggest thing that he got better at is route running. It’s been cool to watch.”
In two years as a starter for the Bobcats, Kacmarek caught a combined 42 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, he recorded 22 receptions, 243 yards and two touchdowns. Kacmarek received Pro Football Focus grades of 67.2 as a run blocker and 65.8 as a pass blocker in 2023.
“I enjoy blocking, I like getting out in the open, catching routes and stuff like that,” Kacmarek said Tuesday.
Kacmarek arrived on campus in the spring and said it only took him a few practices to get adjusted to the speed of practicing against Ohio State-caliber athletes. He quickly learned having to help block Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau was only going to make him a better football player.
“The spring was a transition. I got to see all that speed and stuff,” he said. “But I caught up playing against them every day. I’m excited to see how the season is going to play out because I’m training against the best every day.”
In the offseason, Kacmarek worked on route running with former Ohio State wideout and his former teammate at Ohio, Sam Wiglusz.
“He got some techniques from the Rams and he shared them with me and stuff like that,” Kacmarek said. “We’re trying to incorporate new things and new routes.”
In fall camp, Kacmarek has primarily played the Y tight end position in Ohio State’s offense, though the Buckeyes have experimented with moving him around the field in different formations. He’s also quickly learned what OSU expects from him when running routes.
“As soon as I got here, I found out that routes were not just a certain depth at a different angle or something,” Kacmarek said. “There’s a lot more to it, like what you do against different coverages, or techniques you use to get off the line and man coverage and stuff like that. So we just worked a lot on tools to get me in those positions, to win and kind of get the ball.”
He’s made a strong impression on Bailey, who praised Kacmarek for his quick acclimation to Ohio State on Tuesday. Bailey raised a few eyebrows when he compared Kacmarek to former Ohio State tight end Cade Stover, who has now reunited with C.J. Stroud on the Houston Texans.
“I’m not shying from that comparison,” Bailey said. “You’re taking a guy who prides himself on being a tough, physical blocker and teaching him how to run routes like a receiver. So I see a lot of similarities there. The same drills that we started with Cade, how to run-stop-transition and use the top end efficiently, I was using with Will this time around. I don’t want to say it was a copy-paste. I mean, every guy is different, but a whole lot of similarities in that aspect.”
