Ohio State tight end Max Klare has declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, ending his Buckeye career after one season, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
A product of Cincinnati St. Xavier Klare was the No. 69-ranked tight end and the 39th-ranked player in the state of Ohio in the class of 2023, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings.
Klare began his collegiate career with Purdue in 2023, catching 73 passes for 881 yards and four touchdowns in three seasons with the Boilermakers.
The 6-5, 243-pound tight end transferred to Ohio State on Dec. 6, 2024, hauling in 43 receptions for 448 yards and two scores in his lone season with the Buckeyes.
Klare is the third Buckeye tight end to move on from Ohio State this offseason, with Will Kacmarek exhausting his eligibility and Jelani Thurman transferring to North Carolina.
Klare becomes the fifth junior Buckeye to announce his departure from Ohio State and enter the NFL Draft, joining defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, linebacker Arvell Reese, safety Caleb Downs and wide receiver Carnell Tate.
Ohio State has already added two tight ends in its 2026 transfer portal class with Ohio’s Mason Williams and Northwestern’s Hunter Welcing.
Williams brought down 26 receptions for 276 yards and three scores for the Bobcats in 2025, while Welcing, a seventh-year senior, caught 28 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Wildcats.
