Ohio State New TE Opens Up About Why He Transferred to Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes' newest tight end has explained why he decided to transfer to Columbus.

Nov 16, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers tight end Max Klare (86) catches a pass during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The Ohio State Buckeyes were able to bag an intriguing tight end via the transfer portal, snatching Max Klare away from the Purdue Boilermakers, their Big Ten opponent.

Ohio State is not a team known for utilizing tight ends, so Klare's decision to make the move to Columbus was a bit strange. That's especially considering he hauled in 51 receptions for 685 yards and four touchdowns in an impressive 2024 campaign.

But Klare explained why he decided to join the Buckeyes, saying he felt at home.

"I think just the environment and just the people here," Klare said, via Patrick Murphy of 247 Sports. "The coaches, so much experience and the players you get to play against every day, it's going to make you better. And guys like Jelani (Thurman). he pushes me every day. So it's good to have people like that around here."

Gee Scott Jr. was Ohio State's top tight end this past season, logging 27 catches for 253 yards and a couple of scores. Klare is almost certain to be the Buckeyes' starter in 2025, and if Ohio State deploys him in the way that Purdue did, he should post much bigger numbers than Scott.

Of course, the Buckeyes also have many more weapons than the Boilermakers, which will likely eat into Klare's targets. But tight ends coach Keenan Bailey actually feels that may actually help Klare.

"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 you have the receivers that coach (Brian) Hartline keeps bringing in here, we're going to have single coverage."

We'll see if Klare is able to add a new dimension to Ohio State's offense next fall.

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