It’s always telling when a coach goes out of his way to brag on a player while answering a question that doesn’t even pertain to him.
That was the case with Ohio State tight ends coach Keenan Bailey talking about Will Kacmarek. Answering a question about Purdue transfer tight end Max Klare and his Pro Football Focus blocking grades, Bailey used Kacmarek as a reference point for how they could be wrong. It came with a bold statement about the former Ohio Bobcat.
“He’s the best blocking tight end in the country,” Bailey said in late March.
The blocking-oriented yin to Klare’s yang, Kacmarek is an unsung weapon for the Buckeyes on offense entering 2025, his final year of college football. He’s one of the reasons Ohio State might have the best-stocked tight end room in the country.
“I feel like our room is super close,” Kacmarek said. “We work countless hours outside of practice, working on our fundamentals. We’re a super close unit, we’re always hanging out outside the facility and stuff like that. So I think that plays a big role in the fact that we improve every day.”
Kacmarek carved out a role alongside No. 1 tight end Gee Scott Jr. in 2024, especially as a blocking specialist. PFF grades, earlier doubts about them from Bailey noted, listed Kacmarek as a fantastic blocker relative to his tight end position, with both a 68 run blocking and a 68 pass blocking grade.
On the receiving side, Kacmarek caught eight passes for 86 yards. He didn’t get a full season to showcase his skill set, as an injury in Ohio State’s sixth game against Oregon cost him most of that contest and the Buckeyes’ next four games. But looking back, he’s grateful for the experience. He called his penultimate year of college “awesome” as a whole.
“It allowed me to kind of have a different perspective of just college football in general,” Kacmarek said. “Just being out watching practices, like understanding what goes into a game and to prepare like that. So I just kind of put my head down, went through the rehab, tried to make the most of it and it worked out.”
Bailey added that Kacmarek showed fantastic leadership within the room while injured.
“He put in so much work, I was excited to see him have a full season,” Bailey said. “So that was cut short. But, again, on the flip side, it challenged him to be more of a leader and to learn the offense. Maybe taking a step back and help mentor a guy like Jelani (Thurman). And I think that was a huge opportunity for a guy like Bennett (Christian) and Jelani.”
The technical components of tight end – indeed, one of the most technical positions in football – are where Kacmarek feels he’s grown the most since his arrival to Columbus last year. He views it as even more important to the outcome of a play than effort or athleticism.
“I feel like the biggest change is just the technique,” Kacmarek said. “Obviously, you need someone that will be able to go hard and play through the echo of the whistle, but at the end of the day, it's whose technique is better at the point of attack. So I feel like that's where we can get our advantage.”
Kacmarek’s presence to complement Klare, plus the now-veteran hands of the redshirt junior Christian and redshirt sophomore Thurman, are why Ryan Day said following the spring game that Ohio State might have to consider more 12 personnel packages in 2025. If Kacmarek is among the nation’s best blocking tight ends, that’s a true weapon for the Buckeyes’ running game and a reason to get him on the field. And those sorts of multi-tight end fronts space out defensive lines to provide more running lanes.
"He’s the best blocking tight end in the country."– Keenan Bailey on Will Kacmarek
While Bailey is willing to talk up his senior, Kacmarek isn’t sitting around thinking of himself as among the country’s best road-pavers at his position. He threw the credit back to his coach when asked about Bailey's praise.
“I don't think like that,” Kacmarek said. “I just think about doing my job each play. We're taught – everything is from him, from all the coaches. So we just try to put what we've learned on the field every rep. And whatever the outcome is is whatever it is.”
Bailey feels this is the deepest and best tight end room he’s had, and Kacmarek is central to why.
“It's got to be,” Bailey said. “How many guys played in the natty? I mean, we had four or five tight ends. We had all six play in the playoffs. And four of those six are back. So, yeah, I mean, we've got tons of guys in that room that have started college football games. And not just against the school down the street, like, big-time moments and big-time games. So, yeah, we're super deep.”
Now it will be time for Kacmarek and the unit to show they’re worthy of the hype.
