Even though Ohio State hasn’t historically been a haven for tight ends to put up big numbers in the passing game, Max Klare is confident he’s at the right place for his continued growth as a tight end.
Klare was one of the most productive receiving tight ends in all of college football last season, catching 51 passes for 685 yards and four touchdowns for Purdue, but he’s now surrounded with elite receivers like Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, meaning he’ll have plenty of competition for targets in Ohio State’s offense. But Klare wants to be known as a complete tight end rather than just a pass-catcher, and he expects Keenan Bailey and Ohio State to develop him into the best player he can be.
“Coach Kee, (in the transfer recruiting process), he hit on all the things I wanted to hear and some things I didn't want to hear. And that's real as a coach, and you want to be in an environment that's going to push you in all aspects of the game,” Klare said Thursday. “Being a tight end, it's not just about pass catching, you got to block, and I think that's something that I want to keep developing. And going against these guys (on Ohio State’s defense) every day, running routes and blocking these guys every day, I mean, it's going to make you better. So I think I have a vision of where I want to be as a tight end, and I think this place gives me the best opportunity to do that.”
While he’s unlikely to be the No. 1 target in Ohio State’s offense like he was at Purdue, that should theoretically open up new playmaking opportunities for Klare, as defenses won’t be able to double-team him the way opponents could in coverage last season. And Bailey thinks the perception that Klare won’t get as many targets at Ohio State is overblown, citing the fact that Cade Stover was OSU’s second-most-productive receiver two years ago while playing alongside Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka.
“I show these recruits all the time, because everyone says, Ohio State's just a receiver school, it's like, Marvin Harrison was the best receiver in the country, and you know who number two was in targets and receptions and receiving yards? It was Cade. Because you could go to the other schools, and they don't have the receivers we do, and you're going to get doubled every game. Good luck,” Bailey said. “I don't know many great plays if you're going to get bracketed, but no, you have the receivers that Coach Hartline keeps bringing in here, we're going to have single coverage, and if my tight ends can't beat single coverage, we're going to have issues. I'll get another tight end who can. We've got a lot of tight ends who are pretty good receivers, and I'm excited to see them.”
Klare is excited about being part of an offense that’s loaded with talent around him.
“It's amazing. I mean, there's so much talent here, it's unbelievable,” Klare said. “It makes everyone better, and it’s fun to be out there with them.”
Six practices into the spring, the focus among Klare and Ohio State’s coaches isn’t on how many targets he will get this fall but on acclimating him into the offense and his development as an all-around tight end. That said, Bailey is pleased with the way Klare has ingrained himself within Ohio State’s tight end unit so far.
“He's doing really well. Acclimating well. Probably the most impressive thing is how seamless the transition has been to our unit,” Bailey said. “On the field, he's playing well. We knew he'd play well. But just buying into the culture and being an Ohio State tight end, it comes with an air of something, some certain traits of being a tough guy, and he's embodied that.
“I think anytime you've got to learn an offense, he was in (a different one for Purdue) for three years, so terminology maybe,” Bailey said of what he’s had to work on most with Klare this spring. “But even then, he's a smart kid. He's a veteran. He's picked it up really, really, really, pretty smoothly.”
Less than three months after arriving at Ohio State, Klare says he already feels at home as a Buckeye.
“It's been great so far,” Klare said. “The people have been great, all the players, everyone's really embraced me. It feels like home and can't ask for a better place to be.”
“I have a vision of where I want to be as a tight end, and I think this place gives me the best opportunity to do that.”– Max Klare on transferring to Ohio State
While Klare is known for his receiving ability, Bailey doesn’t view Klare’s blocking as a weakness. Asked about Pro Football Focus’ blocking grades for Klare last season (53.8 in run blocking, 47.8 in pass blocking), Bailey said those grades didn’t match his evaluation.
“He checked that box when I watched the film,” Bailey said.
Whether it’s catching passes or blocking, Klare says he’s ready to do whatever Ohio State needs him to do to win games. He got a taste of what it’s like to win a national championship as he was with the Buckeyes for the end of their College Football Playoff run after enrolling at OSU in January, and now he wants to help Ohio State win another one.
“Just seeing the culture they have here and how they run things, they had that group of guys that really led the way and showed me what it looks like to win here, so it was awesome,” Klare said of being with the Buckeyes for their championship run.
