Tag: Marlin Klein

2025 Spring Football Preview: Tight End

RETURNING PLAYERS: Max Bredeson (RS Sr.), Marlin Klein (RS Jr.), Jalen Hoffman (RS So.), Zack Marshall (RS So.), Deakon Tonielli (RS So.), Hogan Hansen (So.), Brady Prieskorn (RS Fr.)
NEWCOMERS: Eli Owens (Fr.)
DEPARTURES: Colston Loveland (NFL draft)

OUTLOOK: Michigan had one of the best tight ends in college football in 2024 in the form of Colston Loveland, who should be a first round draft pick in April. Loveland was by far Michigan’s leading receiver (56 catches, 582 yards, 5 touchdowns) despite playing in a subpar passing game, and his numbers were significantly hurt by the fact that the quarterbacks couldn’t get him the ball when he was open downfield.

Marlin Klein caught the fifth most passes on the team in 2024 and filled in for Loveland. Klein isn’t nearly the fluid athlete that Loveland was and doesn’t have as natural of receiving abilities, but he’s a 6’6″, 247 lb. player with good straight-line speed and decent blocking ability. He caught 13 passes for 108 yards and 0 touchdowns a season ago.

The other huge returning contributor is 6’2″, 240 lb. Max Bredeson, who plays a fullback/H-back role. Bredeson caught just 3 passes for 24 yards, but he’s a devastating blocker who sets the physical tone on offense. New offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey may have to adjust some of his schemes to incorporate a heavy dose of Bredeson. I think Lindsey is pretty flexible as a coach, but he seems less inclined to use multiple tight ends as frequently as Jim Harbaugh-type offenses did.

Rising sophomore Hogan Hansen came out of nowhere to catch 7 passes for 78 yards and 1 touchdown in 2024 while playing in ten games. It’s not clear exactly what type of role he’ll play since his body (6’5″, 236) and skills haven’t really developed yet, but what is clear is that the coaching staff likes him and he will probably see a heavier role in 2025.

Walk-on Hoffman is Bredeson’s backup, and both Marshall and Tonielli are going into their third years without playing much. Prieskorn was hurt toward the end of the season, and my guess is he will not participate fully in spring ball. The lone freshman in the class is Eli Owens, who was listed at 6’1″ and 243 lbs. coming out of high school before enrolling early. He has mentioned how much he wants to fill the role of Bredeson down the road, so he may end up battling Hoffman for playing time this spring after enrolling early.

Overall, Michigan has a solid group of tight ends, but no real stars in the receiving game. Bredeson may prove to be the best of the bunch because of his blocking ability, but there’s still some intriguing potential with Klein’s athleticism, Hansen’s early flashes, etc. One to watch may be Tonielli, who got some buzz last spring but never got an opportunity on Saturdays. It should be a good overall unit, but the crew overall is a bit of an unknown.

2024 Season Countdown: #30 Marlin Klein

Name: Marlin Klein
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 247 lbs.
High school: Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt sophomore
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Klein #77 and said he would be a backup tight end (LINK). He played in ten games and caught 1 pass for 8 yards.
TTB Rating: 81

Klein has been buried on the depth chart for the past couple seasons behind a pretty good group of tight ends. Last year it was Colston Loveland, A.J. Barner, and Matt Hibner, among others, ahead of him on the depth chart. Barner went to the NFL, and Hibner attempted to find greener pastures at SMU (Hibner caught 1 pass for 19 yards in a win over Nevada last night). Klein, meanwhile, despite positive reports on his athleticism, had yet to reach a point where he could be put on the field.

This off-season the hype train for Klein has picked up speed, largely based on his size and athleticism. He reportedly broke off a long touchdown catch and run in a scrimmage recently, and one insider report pegged him as one of the fastest players on the team. Even if he doesn’t truly rank quite at the top, that’s still an impressive comment about a player who’s 6’6″ and 247 pounds.

Replacing Barner’s 620 snaps from 2023 is going to be a group effort. Klein isn’t going to go from playing 37 snaps to 620. But he does appear to be TE2 on this roster, and that should be a few hundred snaps. Zack Marshall and Deakon Tonielli are a couple others who could see decent roles, not to mention 6’6″, 245 lb. freshman Brady Prieskorn. The group has one proven player (Loveland) and a bunch of question marks. I ranked Barner #22 last year, so I don’t have as much confidence in Klein, but we should still see the Germany native quite a bit this fall.

Prediction: Part-time starting tight end; 15 catches for 200 yards and 1 touchdown

2024 Spring Football Preview: Tight End

2023 Starters: Colston Loveland, A.J. Barner
Losses: Barner (NFL), Matt Hibner (transfer)
Returning players: Max Bredeson (RS Jr.), Loveland (Jr.), Marlin Klein (RS So.), Zack Marshall (RS Fr.), Deakon Tonielli (RS Fr.)
Newcomer: Brady Prieskorn (Fr.)
Projected starters: Klein, Loveland

The tight end position is the one that has perhaps separated Michigan from so many other teams over the past several years. Not only has Michigan had some quality players in the role, but the number, usage, and motion of the tight ends have become staples of Michigan’s offensive approach.

Probably the best tight end to come along during Jim Harbaugh’s tenure was Colston Loveland (45 catches, 649 yards, 4 touchdowns), a rising junior who has the athleticism of some of the elite tight ends playing in the NFL. He’s good enough that this is probably his last season in Ann Arbor before getting drafted in 2025.

One-time Indiana transfer A.J. Barner (22 catches, 249 yards, 1 touchdown) was an excellent blocker and underrated pass catcher, but he’s headed to the NFL in next month’s draft. It appears the next guy in line to play a bunch of snaps in Barner’s place is Marlin Klein, a 6’6″, 250-pounder who had just 1 catch for 8 yards last fall. He needed to put on some weight early in his career, but he seems to finally be reaching a good playing weight to handle some of the blocking duties.

It’s also important to mention quasi-starting tight end Max Bredeson, who plays more of a fullback position but nonetheless started four games last season. He caught 2 passes for 19 yards altogether, but he’s a bruising blocker. At 6’2″ and 240 lbs., he’s unlikely to move into a true tight end role and will probably carry on as a fullback.

Redshirt freshman Zack Marshall (6’4″, 232) played in two games last year while redshirting, and classmate Deakon Tonielli (6’5″, 251) has some decent size already but did not get any experience. The most likely returning player to step into Klein’s role as the #3 tight end seems to be Marshall, who should be a little bigger this spring (and fall).

One of the most intriguing names, though, is freshman early enrollee Brady Prieskorn (6’6″, 220), who was a 4-star and the #129 overall player in the class of 2024. He’s an all-around tight end somewhat in the mold of Loveland in that he’s a good athlete who’s not afraid of contact. His physical development is going to be key in determining how ready he is to step on the field this fall. But if he’s even borderline ready from a physical standpoint, we could see him begin to emerge this spring as someone who could jump over Marshall and Tonielli to become that #3 tight end.

2023 Season Countdown: #77 Marlin Klein

Name: Marlin Klein
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 245 lbs.
High school: Rabun Gap (GA) Nacoochee
Position: Tight end
Class: Redshirt freshman
Jersey number: #17
Last year: I ranked Klein #89 and said he would redshirt (LINK). He played in two games.
TTB Rating: 81

Klein never had much of a chance to play significant snaps in 2022. Not only did Michigan have a glut of tight ends, but Klein was built very slight. At his height and just 215 pounds, he was never going to hold up against Big Ten defensive linemen or linebackers, and even some safeties probably could have pushed him around. So he got in the game at the end of a couple blowouts against Hawaii and UConn and that was it.

This year he has more of a chance, and I think we will see him start to emerge. Several tight ends moved on from last year’s team, so Klein moves up the depth chart a little bit. He is also listed at 245 this season, though he still looked pretty skinny in the spring game. I think blocking is still a major issue for Klein, so I don’t foresee him playing a significant role in 2023. However, multiple players/coaches have mentioned in interviews that he’s a bit of a freak athlete. The first three guys are probably Colston Loveland, A.J. Barner, and Matt Hibner, and Klein has a shot to be mixing in after that, along with Max Bredeson.

Prediction: Backup tight end

Thoughts on 2023 Spring Game

Okay, it’s time to put some thoughts about the spring game on paper.

QUARTERBACK: We know what J.J. McCarthy brings to the table, and Michigan was never going to let him factor into the run game, so whatever. This comes down to thoughts on the backups. After watching Michigan have a good 1-2 punch the past two years with McCarthy and Cade McNamara, there is a big question mark at the #2 quarterback spot in 2023. I thought redshirt sophomore Davis Warren once again outplayed the competition, which comes from Alex Orji and Indiana transfer Jack Tuttle. Tuttle had a couple decent throws and showed some decent athleticism on the run, but Warren is more accurate and probably a better decision maker, despite the fact that Tuttle is a sixth-year player. Orji has decent arm strength but leaves something to be desired when it comes to his timing and accuracy; running is the best part of his game, and he’s a change-up guy. I would put him at #4 on the depth chart.

Hit the jump for more.