Max Klare gives Ryan Day his next Cade Stover to build Ohio State offense around
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been busy in the transfer portal, adding running back CJ Donaldson, tackles Phillip Daniels and Ethan Onianwa, and tight end Max Klare. Klare, the top tight end in the transfer portal after a stellar 2024 season with Purdue, brings a dynamic to Ryan Day's offense that we've rarely seen in […]
The Ohio State Buckeyes have been busy in the transfer portal, adding running back CJ Donaldson, tackles Phillip Daniels and Ethan Onianwa, and tight end Max Klare. Klare, the top tight end in the transfer portal after a stellar 2024 season with Purdue, brings a dynamic to Ryan Day's offense that we've rarely seen in program history.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder hauled in 51 passes on 75 targets for 684 yards and four touchdowns. The third-year tight end has two more seasons of eligibility. And those two seasons could bring an offensive attack that looks vastly different than what Day has unleashed in the last few years.
Part of that is the transition from quarterbacks Kyle McCord and Will Howard to Julian Sayin. The backfield is also transforming, embracing 240-pound rusher CJ Donaldson. The line should be improved with a renewed focus on the unit, and then of course, the addition of Klare.
Klare's usage at Purdue reveals someone who is not just an inline blocker and receiver like so many previous Ohio State tight ends, or a quasi-receiver like Gee Scott Jr. Klare played almost 47% of his snaps in the slot and 48% inline in 2024. Those are almost identical to Cade Stover's alignments in 2023.
Stover caught 41 passes on only 51 targets for 576 yards and five touchdowns before getting drafted in the fourth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Farmer Gronk was as reliable as receiving tight ends come, but he wasn't the fastest or most versatile option despite his consistency and efficiency.
Klare is visibly more athletic before the catch point but isn't as reliable finishing through contact. That's okay, as Ohio State may be going with a power spread attack that allows Donaldson to face light boxes and gives Sayin as many athletes out wide as possible.
Or Klare could be the power slot receiver.
The fun of getting Klare is just how natural he is in various roles. He produced an average of 6.6 yards after the catch, and his average depth of target was 8.9. With only five drops and a 53.8% contested catch win rate, Klare is truly a rare tight end weapon on the collegiate level.
This gives Day the chance to revamp his offense into a new style. Whether it's to embrace a more physical set of adjustments or to continue using athletes to outgun weaker foes, this is one of the most exciting signings of the entire transfer portal period yet.
