There’s no question Bennett Christian enjoyed the return of his football privileges in 2024.
Suspended for the whole of the 2023 season after testing positive for a banned substance, Christian quietly found some rotational use for the Buckeyes in 2024, playing 55 snaps during the team’s four-game College Football Playoff national championship run. With his teammates, he saw the pinnacle of the sport.
Now, he’s using those experiences to step into a leadership role within Ohio State’s loaded 2025 tight end room.
“Last year was awesome,” Christian said in March. “Coming back, finally getting to actually play, it was really fun. Being back now, I feel like I'm stepping into that leadership role a little bit, which is nice to do. I feel like guys can relate to what I've been through and if someone feels down or something, I've been at the very bottom. So I think guys kind of draw to that, and I'm really stepping into that and trying to be a good example for the younger guys.”
Christian emerged as the No. 3 most-used tight end in the Buckeyes’ offense behind starter Gee Scott Jr. and top backup Will Kacmarek, playing 235 total snaps in 2024. The top receiving highlight of his season was a 55-yard touchdown snag in the waning moments against Western Michigan, the first career touchdown pass for then-freshman Julian Sayin.
“That was cool,” Christian said. “That was a cool moment to have with him.”
Julian Sayins first career touchdown pass is a 55-yard strike to Bennett Christian pic.twitter.com/z0MIGWcLhW
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 8, 2024
Christian only made one other catch for 6 yards the rest of the season, but it’s not his pass-catching prowess that’s considered his greatest strength at tight end – it’s blocking. It’s been considered his niche since he was recruited out of Acworth, Georgia, as a four-star prospect.
After posting a 63.1 run-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus in 2024, the redshirt junior Christian hopes to utilize that skill to find playing time in a loaded Ohio State tight end room. Max Klare has been brought in as a star receiving weapon from Purdue. Kacmarek is back and has been dubbed the “best blocking tight end in the country” by tight ends coach Keenan Bailey. Redshirt sophomore Jelani Thurman took strides last season and believes he’ll “put on a show” in 2025.
Thurman and Christian both could have found reason to enter the transfer portal with all the competition for reps, but neither wavered in their commitment to Ohio State.
“I think it's just a testament to how strong this brotherhood is,” Christian said. “When Coach (Bailey) told us that we were bringing in Max, I thought it was a great opportunity for me that I can learn some stuff from him. He's a great player and I already have and he's learned stuff from me and Will. I think now we have some really good guys in the room, we can stay fresh and just learn off each other and ultimately become the best players we can be.”
In terms of carving out a bigger role, or even one similar to the one he held in 2024, Christian might be competing with wide receivers and running backs as much as he’s competing with fellow tight ends. More 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) would mean more opportunities, and perhaps there’s even a three-tight-end package out there for Ohio State. Then again, such things are hard to consider with a receiving corps as good as the Buckeyes possess.
“I think everyone's different,” Bailey said in March. “Bennett's different than Jelani. But those guys, consistently – I said it last week, like, Coach Hart's going to put the best 11 on the field. It doesn't matter if they're all running backs or receivers or tight ends. So, every day I tell them, ‘Every day you're competing against the other tight ends in the room. But we're competing against the receivers and the running backs.’ When we put two or three or four tight ends on the field, if that package is better than none, we're going to live in that.”
For now, Christian is focused on the holistic improvement of his game. He’s another page of what feels like a library of viable tight end options for Ohio State in 2025.
“I'm not really focused on specific areas,” Christian said. “Obviously, I want to become a more polished route runner. I need to get better at blocking. I need to get better at pass protection. So really, I'm just working on everything. Hopefully, I can get it all meshed together and have a really good year.”
