Commitment Impact: Marlin Klein To Michigan

Michigan has offensive commitment No. 1 in the 2022 class in athletic tight end Marlin Klein.

Commitment No. 3 in Michigan's 2022 class and the first on the offensive side of the ball is Rabun Gap (Ga.) Nacoochee tight end Marlin Klein. The athletic tight end pulled the trigger for the Wolverines yesterday giving U-M a very nice offensive piece to work around. Take a look at how he fits in at U-M as a player, member of the 2022 class and future piece of Michigan's roster.

The Player

Klein currently checks in at 6-7, 220 pounds and really looks like the kind of prospect who will blossom in a college strength and conditioning program. He's quite lean right now but getting to 245-255 pounds should be very easy for him. He's got great length, a terrific frame and obviously really good size for the tight end position.

As an athlete he really flashes. He's in the 11-second range in the 100-meter dash and appears to have an above average vertical leap as well. There are random video clips out there showing him going through workouts and even doing backflips with relative ease. He moves extremely well for a young man his size and looks like the kind of prospect who could explode at the next level.

As a German-born prospect, Klein hasn't been playing football for his entire life so he's still adapting to the game. He's also been mostly a wide receiver so there's some transitioning to tight end taking place as well. Still, he shows a lot of natural ability when it comes to running routes and catching the ball cleanly. The biggest thing for him is going to be blocking, which is the case with most high school tight ends. 

The Class

Michigan's 2022 class is just getting going with just three total pledges, but it's off to a great start. Klein, along with Cambridge (Mass.) Buckingham Browne & Nichols inside linebacker Tyler Martin and Essexville (Mich.) Garber defensive tackle Alex VanSumeren, make up Michigan's No. 6 ranked class in the country.

As for tight end, Michigan will look to add another player to go along with Klein and there are essentially four major targets to keep an eye on at the position. Cumming (Ga.) West Forsyth tight end Oscar Delp, Dickinson (Texas) High tight end Donovan Green, Bellevue (Neb.) Bellevue West tight end Micah Riley and Greer (S.C.) High tight end Jaleel Skinner make up U-M's recruiting board at the position in 2022. Green is the big fish of the group. The 6-4, 220-pounder has more than 40 offers from all the big boys. Skinner, a 6-5, 210-pounder who is actually listed as a jumbo wide receiver, is another big timer with nearly 20 offers to his name. Riley checks in at 6-5, 228 pounds and also claims nearly 20 offers. Finally there's Delp, who is much more under the radar, but boasts 11 offers of his own. Like the rest, he's also in the 6-5, 220-pound range.

Tight ends coach Sherrone Moore has been an extremely efficient recruiter while at Michigan, so look for him to land one of these four guys to go along with Klein.

The Team

When a freshman Klein and Michigan get ready to take the field in 2022, the tight end position group is going to look very different. Nick Eubanks will be long gone, while Luke Schoonmaker could still be on the roster as a fifth-year senior. We'll have to see how the next season or two play out for him. Erick All will be a true senior after playing in 11 games last year as a true freshman, and Matthew Hibner will be entering year No. 3, but his actual eligibility will depend on this year and next.

As is explained above, we expect another tight end to be in the 2022 class, but that's still a pretty thin group. With just the three mentioned scholarship tight ends on the roster, there's a chance Klein pushes for some snaps. If he's 6-7 and at least 240 pounds entering year one at Michigan, he'll get a look. I would almost guarantee it.