“I feel that Purdue tight end, Max Klare, is going to be a baller and is probably one of the best tight ends that we played, and I think he's going to be the best tight end coming into the college football season next year.”
Consider former Ohio State safety Lathan Ransom among Klare's biggest fans. As the quote above attests, Ransom came away impressed by the tight end despite the Buckeyes' 45-0 whalloping of the Boilermakers last November.
“It’s funny. I actually went to Coach Kee after we played Purdue and was like, ‘Man, if he enters the portal,’ he's a guy we should get,” Ransom said last February at the NFL Scouting Combine when asked about the additions to his former team.
While Klare tallied just two catches for 13 yards against the Buckeyes, he left an impression on the OSU secondary with his efforts in winter bowl practice, joining the team as a practice player during its run to a CFP title.
“He gave us a great look in scout (team),” said Jordan Hancock of those practices. “He's a great route runner. He can block. But really, his routes, I think he's going to be a real good passing threat later down the year.”
While his team had a year to forget in 2024, Klare was a rare bright spot for Purdue, hauling in 685 receiving yards on 51 catches and earning third-team All-Big Ten honors behind two first-round picks in Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland. Perhaps even more impressively, that output came against a schedule that included five CFP teams (Ohio State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Oregon, and Indiana) as well as a road game against a ranked Illinois squad where the tight end hauled in six catches for a career-high 133 yards.
Such production has led many to expect great things from Klare this season, earning preseason All-America honors while being named to the Mackey, Biletnikoff, and Lombardi Award watch lists. Though the Buckeyes will have a first-time starter at quarterback this fall, either Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz would have had plenty of receiving options at their disposal regardless of Klare's arrival.
Klare is one of three Buckeyes on the Biletnikoff list alongside returning starters Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith, the latter of whom is considered to be the best player in the entire sport, regardless of position. Add that to a deep tight end room returning Will Kacmarek, Jelani Thurman, and Bennett Christian, and one could be led to believe Klare's opportunities could be limited.
What He Can Do
But Klare proved last season that he was more than just the best option on a bad team. Despite regularly facing some of the best defenders in the sport, Klare displayed rare athleticism for his position, making plays on the ball in the air and looking comfortable as a runner with it in his hands.
Though he hails from the small Indiana town of Guilford, Klare attended St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati, starring in both football and baseball, and originally committed to Duke before signing with Purdue in the 2022 class. After a redshirt season that fall, followed by an injury-shortened 2023, Klare rarely left the field last season and emerged as the most important cog in the Boilermaker offense.
Following a coaching change in West Lafayette, many expected Klare to declare for the NFL draft and begin the next chapter of his football career. However, the junior chose to further develop his talents at the college level at a place where he could also compete for championships.
Many have labeled Klare as a 'receiving tight end' that is a liability in the run game, thanks to an underwhelming 53.8 run blocking grade from PFF, likely to be replaced by Kacmarek or Christian when the Buckeyes want to run the ball. For his part, Klare is plenty aware of his perceived shortcomings but believes the reps he'll get against the talented defenders in his locker room will help him develop into an even better player.
“Being a tight end, it's not just about pass catching; you've got to block, and I think that's something that I want to keep developing," Klare told reporters in the spring. "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."
But it's not as if Klare is a complete liability in the run game, however. While no one is going to confuse him with Orlando Pace, his performance as a blocker from attached formations (lined up directly next to the tackle) was more than adequate last season. The tight end may not have the best punch upon impact, but he moves his feet well to position his body between larger defenders and the ball-carrier.
Ironically, it was when he was used as a 'move' tight end, motioning or pulling across the formation, that he struggled most as a blocker last season. When asked to lead a runner through the hole and take on a moving target, Klare struggled to maintain engagement with a defender after making initial contact, leading to missed blocks.
Perhaps for this reason, the Boilermakers often utilized him as a receiving target on RPOs, attaching him as a pass option opposite the run play. Given his talents as a ball carrier, it's easy to see why defenders were quick to honor the threat of his release downfield, which only helped open up running lanes.
Where He Fits In
Buckeye fans spent years wondering when their favorite team would finally throw more to the tight end (even as OSU passing records were being rewritten constantly), and that wish finally came true in 2023.
That season, the Buckeye offense found itself in a very similar spot to where it stands today, breaking in a new QB (Kyle McCord) following the departure of a veteran offensive coordinator (Kevin Wilson), but with the talents of the best receiver in the country (Marvin Harrison Jr). Of course, Harrison led the team in virtually every receiving category that season, but Cade Stover emerged as McCord's safety blanket while Emeka Egbuka battled injury for much of the season.
That season, Stover's role in the offense largely mirrored how Klare was deployed in West Lafayette, meaning Ryan Day and his staff don't have to look far for ways to incorporate their newest weapon into the fold.
As Stover showed in the last clip above, Buckeye tight ends like Klare should feast as opposing defenses focus on stopping Smith, much as they did when Harrison last wore the scarlet and gray.
“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," tight ends coach Keenan Bailey said of his group's role in the scheme. "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. I don't know many great plays (you'll make) 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.”
In '23, Stover became the second option behind Harrison out of necessity, leading to Ohio State's worst offensive season of the Ryan Day era. While McCord bore the brunt of the criticism, Egbuka and TreVeyon Henderson were in and out of the lineup while Julian Fleming never developed into the five-star talent many expected, all of which allowed defenses to focus on Harrison.
Despite all the potential ways Klare can contribute, the fact remains that new OC Brian Hartline can only put 11 players on the field at one time. With a receiver room overflowing with five-star talent beyond just Smith and Tate, the easy answer would be to play Klare as the only tight end in an 11 (1 RB, 1 TE) personnel package and throw the heck out of the ball. Although that may be a viable answer in CFB 26, Hartline must strive for a balance between the run and the pass, meaning 12 (1 RB, 2 TE) packages might be the base package on early downs, forcing defenses to make a difficult decision about their own personnel.
Leaving Klare as the in-line 'Y' TE while Kacmarek flexes as the 'U' player that is as much a fullback as a tight end maximizes the abilities of both players in the run game, especially in schemes like Counter and Split-Zone.
Some defenses will turn from a base, five-DB personnel to a traditional 4-3 (or 3-4) package against two-tight end sets, which is stout against the run but limits flexibility in the secondary. Should the defense beef up to stop the run in such scenarios, Hartline can respond by moving Klare out into the slot, leaving Kacmarek or another TE in a more natural alignment.
This would force the defense to either walk out a linebacker into coverage, effectively removing him from run support, or leave a safety to man up Klare. In that latter case, the receiver next to him should be one-on-one against the corner - the kind of matchup Hartline will be hunting for, no matter the opponent.
Klare's presence can work the other way, as well. When in the game with three receivers, detaching him from the formation forces the defense to make equally uncomfortable decisions about how to account for a four-wide set. The defense can either walk out a linebacker, a mismatch against Klare's athleticism, or ask a safety to account for him, which leaves the outside receiver alone against the corner.
Creating mismatches for Klare won't be Hartline's priority, however. As long as Smith remains in uniform, he'll provide the biggest threat to opposing defenses, and finding ways to get him favorable matchups will be paramount.
Splitting out Klare as the solo receiver in a 3x1 set and putting Smith in the slot is just one way Hartline could solve that problem. Just as the Kansas City Chiefs have created clearer pictures for Patrick Mahomes by splitting out Travis Kelce in similar looks, Klare's ability as a route runner could force the defense to declare its coverage intentions before the ball is ever snapped.
If the defense keeps a cornerback out wide with Klare, Smith should have his way against linebackers and safeties inside. But if the defense asks the corner to follow Smith, Klare would be the one with a mismatch on the outside.
In some ways, Klare's versatility makes him the queen on the chessboard, allowing the Buckeyes to pose very different challenges without changing personnel. The highest-profile addition to the OSU tight end room in years may fail to match his production from a year ago, yet make an even bigger impact for his team simply by his presence alone.
