ESPN names Ohio State football's x-factor in 2025

USA Today

20-07-2025

Every college football season, there are some things a team can feel pretty good about as known commodities. For Ohio State, it's almost a lock that receiver Jeremiah Smith is going to have a huge year, and you can also bank on safety Caleb Downs being a difference maker on defense.
Aside from that, there are a lot of new starters and things that we just don't know. For instance, how will the defense retool? Can the new quarterback be productive enough to give the Buckeyes a chance at some pretty big things in 2025? What about the running game that lost two fantastic options from last year? All of those and more need to be answered this fall and will go a long way towards what type of year Ohio State has. But who, of anyone, might be the X-factor for the Buckeyes and make the ultimate difference between a good year and a great one?
It's a good question, and trying to figure it out is just a best-guess type of scenario, but ESPN was up for the task in trying to identify who that is when it identified an X-factor for every one of its top 25 teams heading into this coming season.
For Ohio State, that X-factor is Purdue transfer tight end Max Klare, who should grab the starting tight end spot after having a very, very productive 2024 season for the Boilermakers.
"The Buckeyes landed the top tight end in the transfer portal in Klare, who arrived in Columbus from Purdue, wrote ESPN's Jake Trotter. "Klare caught 51 passes for 685 years and four touchdowns during his sophomore season, easily leading the Boilermakers in those three categories. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Klare figures to give the Buckeyes a dynamic target over the middle of the field, nicely complementing receiver Carnell Tate and All-American wideout Jeremiah Smith. Klare's presence should also give Ohio State's new starting quarterback -- whether it's Julian Sayin or Lincoln Kienholz -- a playmaking security blanket early in the season. With Smith set to command attention on the outside, Klare should find plenty of favorable matchups operating inside."
It's a good point by Trotter. With arguably the best receiving group in college football, and perhaps the best weapon in the game with Jeremiah Smith, Klare could be left open a lot on check-downs and across the middle. And with a new quarterback, he could be like a warm glass of milk as a safety valve when needed. It could result in a huge year for Klare.
Of course, there are other guys or things that could be an X-factor, especially on defense or in the running game, but I like ESPN's thoughts on Klare being a difference maker, even more than many might think in 2025.
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