Purdue breakout Max Klare becoming a Big Ten star, and one of the top tight ends in all of college football
One of the breakout stars in college football this season is Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who is now the man in the spotlight after Theo Johnson left for the NFL this past offseason. Through six games, Warren has hauled in 40 receptions for 513 yards and four touchdowns. He has been tremendous, making […]
One of the breakout stars in college football this season is Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who is now the man in the spotlight after Theo Johnson left for the NFL this past offseason. Through six games, Warren has hauled in 40 receptions for 513 yards and four touchdowns. He has been tremendous, making a lot of plays as a pass receiver, as well as presenting versatility to line up everywhere.
With how good Warren has been, a couple of talented Big Ten tight ends have gone a little under the radar. That includes Purdue standout Max Klare, who has been tremendous so far this season. He’s coming off of his best day, reeling in six receptions for 133 yards against Illinois this past weekend.
That has now pushed Klare’s season totals to an impressive level. Through six games, Klare has hauled in 21 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns. That is an average of 16.8 yards per reception.
When you look back at Klare’s background, it’s pretty fascinating. Originally committed to the Duke Blue Devils, Klare eventually the Purdue Boilermakers were able to flip star tight end in the 2022 recruiting class. He was an outstanding weapon for St. Xavier in Cincinnati, Ohio, hauling in 39 receptions for 637 yards and five touchdowns as a senior.
Klare redshirted during his freshman year in 2022, but was expected to be a huge breakout last season. Unfortunately Klare was limited for part of the season due to an ankle injury. In total, he played in five games in 2023, hauling in 22 receptions for 196 yards. Now fully healthy, Klare is quickly ascending to be the top of the college football tight end hierarchy.
After beginning his college career at around 225 pounds, Klare is now at around 240 at 6-4. That extra weight is showing as a blocker, doing a better job working at the point of attack. Make no mistake about it, however, this is a dominant pass receiver weapon at the core.
Klare is a very smooth athlete, but his explosiveness can take you off guard at times. That includes after the catch, where you can see the natural movement skills. He appears a lot slower than he really is. There is deceptive speed, and Klare has a ton of it.
The best attribute that Klare brings to the table is his upside as a seam runner. He has a basketball background, and you really see that with Klare’s ability to finish through contact. Klare has good ball skills, strong hands, and has great understanding for how to get his body into proper position. When it comes to the middle of the field, Klare is the big weapon for the Purdue offense.
While not a household name yet, more and more national media should begin to give Klare more attention. He’s only a redshirt sophomore, but he is already one of the more productive tight ends in college football. Klare absolutely has an NFL future, so NFL Draft fans would be wise to get familiar.
