Ohio State’s tight end room is as deep as it’s ever been, and Keenan Bailey knows it.
Asked Thursday if Ohio State’s tight end unit is the deepest he’s ever had, Bailey said “it’s gotta be,” calling the room “super deep” while citing the experience many of those tight ends got during the Buckeyes’ College Football Playoff run last season.
Three of those returning tight ends – Will Kacmarek, Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman – also met with the media on Thursday along with Purdue transfer Max Klare and true freshman Nate Roberts. We gathered video of each of our interview sessions as well as the best quotes and most notable comments from their conversations.
Keenan Bailey
“You cut open an Ohio State tight end, he's going to be a bad dude who goes really freaking hard, and he's just gritty as all get out.”– Keenan Bailey on the mentality of Ohio State’s tight ends
- Bailey said Max Klare has made “a seamless transition has been to our unit.”
- Bailey thinks Will Kacmarek is “the best blocking tight end in the country.”
- Asked if this year’s tight end room is the deepest he’s had, Bailey said “it’s gotta be,” noting that the Buckeyes have four returning tight ends who played snaps in the College Football Playoff (Will Kacmarek, Bennett Christian, Jelani Thurman and Max LeBlanc). “We’re super deep,” Bailey said.
- Bailey said Jelani Thurman is “off the charts, night and day” more mature this year than he’s been in past years.
Max Klare
“It feels like home and can't ask for a better place to be.”– Max Klare on being at Ohio State
- Klare grew up rooting for Boston College because his dad played there and said he actually met Ryan Day as a kid while attending a BC game while Day was an assistant for the Eagles.
- During the transfer recruiting process, Bailey didn’t just tell Klare the things he wanted to hear, which he said is something he appreciated about Bailey. Klare wanted to “be in an environment that's going to push you in all aspects of the game.”
- Klare said that joining the team in January and watching it win a national championship “showed me what it looks like to win here, so it was awesome.”
Will Kacmarek
“We all have one goal, and it's to be the best we can and help this offense go forward.”– Will Kacmarek on the tight ends’ mentality
- Kacmarek said “the depth of each position” is the biggest difference between playing at Ohio State vs. Ohio University. “Everyone here is good. There's not a rep that you're going to take where you're just going to walk through the play.”
- Told that Bailey called him “the best blocking tight end in the country,” Kacmarek said “I don't think like that. I just think about doing my job each play.”
- Kacmarek thinks the tight end unit is “the closest unit on the team by far.” He said the tight ends “hang out all the time” even when they’re not at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
Bennett Christian
“I feel like guys can relate to what I’ve been through and if someone feels down or something, I’ve been at the bottom, really. So I think guys draw to that and I’m stepping into that and trying to be a good example for the younger guys.”– Bennett Christian on using his experiences to help his younger teammates
- Christian praised Jelani Thurman for his size, speed and physicality which he thinks has all the traits of a “great tight end.”
- Christian complimented Will Kacmarek for the way he approached his business once he transferred in to Ohio State, saying he doesn’t do anything but put his head down and go to work.
- Christian says the Buckeyes have so many talented players in the tight end room and can “stay fresh” and “learn off each other” in hopes of being the best players they can be.
Jelani Thurman
“I feel like we got depth, we can do anything we want in our room. We got blockers, we got catchers, we got people that do everything.”– Jelani Thurman on Ohio State’s tight end room
- On how he’s feeling so far in spring practice: “I feel amazing, we got some practices in our bag now. We got to see a lot of guys come out here and work, feel like spring is going well.”
- Thurman feels Ohio State’s tight end room is very close with one another despite the competition for reps. “We’ve spent a lot of time with each other.”
- On Klare: “Great football player, great tight end. A great guy who comes in, watches film. Just a player of the game for real.”
- On what he learned from last season: “Win the next game. That was it. Win the next game. Go out there on Saturday, beat the man in front of you, and we came out with a national championship.”
Nate Roberts
“They’ve done a great job being leaders for me, just taking me under their wing and making sure I’m doing the right stuff. … I love the bond that I’ve built with them. Those dudes are with me every single day.”– Nate Roberts on the relationships he’s built with fellow tight ends
- Roberts said he has a great relationship with coach Keenan Bailey and teammates Max Klare, Bennett Christian, Jelani Thurman and more. “It’s a great room. We’ve got a great bond. Overall, it’s been great.” Later, Roberts added, “I love the bond I’ve built with them. … They’ve done a great job with me. They really have.”
- On committing to Ohio State while being from Oklahoma: “It wasn’t an easy decision. It was a long decision. It’s hard leaving home. … But I knew I had to do what’s best for me. The amount of effort that they put into me during my recruiting process was something that I didn’t (get) anywhere else. … It was a tough decision, but I knew it was the best decision for me.”
- Roberts said being with Ohio State during the program’s national championship run has motivated him as he enters his first season with the Buckeyes. “I feel like we really can go do that again. … Being there and seeing them do that gives me extra motivation.”
