Ohio State football transfer on verge of breaking 29-year Buckeyes curse

Billy Heyen

Ohio State football transfer on verge of breaking 29-year Buckeyes curse image

Ohio State is an NFL Draft factory.

The Buckeyes produce so many players that are ready for the league.

Except, not at one position.

Ohio State hasn't had a tight end picked in the first two rounds since Rickey Dudley went No. 9 overall in 1996.

That could change this year thanks to 6-foot-4 Purdue transfer Max Klare.

"Ohio State produces more NFL talent than almost every other program, including having three tight ends drafted over the last five years. However, the Buckeyes haven’t had a tight end selected in the first two rounds in (nearly) 30 years," The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote. "Klare has the talent to change that and become a top-60 pick in the 2026 class."

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Klare was Purdue's best pass catcher last season, bringing in 51 catches for 685 yards and four TDs.

He won't have as big of an importance in an offense with the likes of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate. But that could also leave less defensive attention on Klare, producing some big plays.

And playing with the defending national champion should get plenty of focus on his talent in a way that should help his eventual NFL Draft stock, too, in hopes of ending the long high-end TE drought for OSU.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle