The Ohio State Fall Camp is set to kick off in just a few short weeks. While most of the attention will rightfully be on the other playmakers on the offense at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver, the Buckeyes may have the deepest group of tight ends they’ve had in a while. Last year saw a pair of Buckeye tight ends drafted fairly high thanks to the NFL pivoting to multiple-tight end sets. This year, the room was reloaded with transfers. Even better, there is a new playcaller in town who absolutely loves to utilize his tight ends.
2026 Ohio State Fall Camp Primer: The Tight Ends
What Was Lost
Last year, the Buckeyes had two tight ends with over 260 snaps, and both are off to the NFL. Will Kacmarek led the way as the number-one tight end, mostly due to his blocking abilities. He didn’t do much as a receiver in his two seasons with the Buckeyes, only amassing 254 yards and two touchdowns on 23 receptions. This year’s draft was much higher on blocking tight ends. As a result, Kacmarek was drafted in the third round by the Miami Dolphins.
Max Klare was the leading receiver among tight ends last year by a decent margin. Considering he was a legitimate star at Purdue, it only made sense. In his lone season in the scarlet and gray, Klare hauled in 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns. In total, he was the third-leading receiver on the team. The Los Angeles Rams picked him up with the 61st overall pick in the second round.
In addition, the third piece no longer with the Buckeyes is Jelani Thurman. In three seasons, Thurman wasn’t able to crack the rotation much, as more of a pass-catching tight end. He recorded 13 receptions for 144 yards and two scores in his time with the Buckeyes. It looked as if he was going to have a larger role in 2026, but he elected to transfer out to North Carolina.
The New Guys
While the tight end room didn’t experience as much loss as other units in terms of raw number of players, there are over 1,000 snaps vacated with Klare and Kacmarek moving on. As a result, Ohio State brought in two transfers and signed one high school recruit.
To start, Mason Williams came over by way of Ohio University, just as Kacmarek did a few years ago. Williams backed up Kacmarek in 2023 in his first season at the college level. He led the tight ends with 19 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns, and was the fourth-leading receiver overall for the MAC Champions. Then, he took another step last year, amassing 276 yards and three touchdowns on 26 receptions as the third-leading receiver.
In addition, Hunter Welcing transferred in from Northwestern. Welcing’s story is filled with injuries. He was initially part of the 2020 recruiting class, but after multiple serious injuries, he will exhaust his eligibility this year. In his first five seasons, he totaled one catch for 20 yards. Then, last year, he was the Wildcats’ third-leading receiver with 296 yards and two touchdowns on 28 receptions.
Finally, the lone first-year tight end added via recruiting was three-star Nick Lautar. Hailing from Lebanon, Ohio, Lautar was considered the 24th-best tight end and 24th-best overall player from Ohio. He’s a physical blocker with legit size that could be a nice matchup mismatch in the red zone when it’s his time.
Who Leads The Way?
When it comes to proven talents with the Buckeyes, Bennett Christian and Nate Roberts lead the way, but that’s not saying much. Let’s start with the elder statesman, Christian. In 2023, Christian was suspended for the entire season due to a banned substance. As for 2026, he’s heading into his final season of eligibility, his fifth. Thus far, he’s only caught seven passes for 77 yards and two touchdowns. He caught Julian Sayin’s first touchdown in 2024 and extended the Buckeyes’ lead in the win over Penn State last year. He led the way among returning tight ends with 255 offensive snaps last year.
Roberts was the Swiss Army Knife as a first-year last year. He lined up at in-line tight end, out wide, at full back, and even carried the ball twice at the goal line. As a receiver, he only brought in four passes for 30 yards, but the coaches trusted him to do anything and everything.
Rounding out the room are third-year Max LeBlanc and second-year Brody Lennon, neither of whom has recorded any stats.
It’s expected that Williams, Welcing, Roberts, and Christian will be at the top of the depth chart. It would not be surprising if the Buckeyes mix and match to find the best combination.
The Arthur Smith Effect
If you were frustrated with the usage of 12 and even 13 personnel last year, look away. Arthur Smith loves his tight ends.
The Buckeyes shocked the college football world when they hired Matt Patricia to lead the defense. Despite being a failed head coach in the NFL, it seemed to work. Could we say the same about Smith in about six months?
Smith’s presence should help the run game. In his seven seasons of play-calling duties, his rushing offenses finished in the top 11 five times. The passing attacks were not great, but he didn’t have decent quarterback play.
In 2021, Smith’s leading receiver was a rookie, Kyle Pitts. Last year, his third, fifth, and seventh-leading receivers were tight ends, combining for 110 receptions for 1,072 yards and seven touchdowns.
Ohio State may not have a comically outsized dependence on its tight ends this year, but if it does, this room looks up to the task. In the biggest games, it would not be surprising to see Smith lean on the tight ends to make a play or a crucial block to open up the run game. They may not have Jeremiah Smith-level numbers, but fans should absolutely expect the tight ends to be better in 2026.
