The Ohio State football program had two tight ends drafted at the same time for the first time in history. Both Max Klare and Will Kacmarek were drafted, which was somewhat surprising. Ohio State is not known as a tight end factory, especially under Ryan Day.
Both of those tight ends leaving means there is a starting spot that is vacated. The Buckeyes added Hunter Welcing from the Transfer Portal to help with that, but he's not guaranteed to score that starting position. The Ohio State Buckeyes have some other guys who will be fighting for that spot, as well.
While there are other more intriguing positional battles that will occur this Fall, the Buckeyes still ahve to figure out who will get the most snaps at that spot. Based on what the team has on the roster, there will likely be three different tight ends who will be competing for the primary tight end slot.
Three tight ends will be fighting to start for Ohio State
Right now, Welcing is the favorite to land the starting spot. He comes from Northwestern, where he caught 28 passes for the Wildcats last year. Despite the fact that he hasn't been with the roster team for more than a few months, he still has the most experience of anyone.
Of course, that doesn't mean that he is guaranteed to win the job. He has two other tight ends fighting him for that spot. Bennett Christian will be a senior, and he has caught just seven passes in his career. However, he has the most experience with Ryan Day. That could give him an edge.
The other tight end who has a shot to start is Nate Roberts. Last season, he was used mostly as a fullback instead of a tight end. The Buckeyes like his brand of physicality, and he has a solid set of hands. That gives them three solid options at the tight end spot.
Ohio State could utilize ther tight end more under Arthur Smith
With Smith as the offensive coordinator, Ohio State might use the tight end more in the passing game. Under Ryan Day, the Buckeyes usually use the tight end sparingly. Smith might want to make them a bit more of a weapon, especially with everyone focused on stopping Jeremiah Smith.
That gives whoever gets the most snaps at tight end an excellent shot at accumulating yards and touchdowns. Last season, Ohio State had the 23rd-best pass offense in the country. With Julian Sayin having his second year as a starter and a new OC, the Buckeyes should be even better this year.
Tight end is going to be one of the battles on the offensive side of the ball. Once that is resolved, Ohio State will know who its pass-catching weapons are. It wouldn't be shocking to see the race for that spot called early on in Fall camp.
Ryan Day has had a few months to evaluate past tape and the spring, that will help him make a choice heading into the regular season.
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