Max Klare named to preseason watch list for Mackey Award

COLUMBUS — Ohio State brought tight end Max Klare into the program this offseason to enhance its offense and finally try adding a Mackey Award to the nearly full trophy case.

Klare is now on the preseason watch list for the Mackey Award, one of the only major awards a Buckeyes player has never won.

After his inclusion on the preseason watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given annually to the country’s most outstanding pass-catcher, Klare got the early nod for this award as well.

He’s already known as one of the top tight ends in college football entering this season thanks to two years of production at Purdue. In 18 games as a Boilermakers star pass-catcher, including 12 starts, Klare caught 73 passes for 881 yards and four touchdowns.

He was the Boilermakers’ leading receiver a year ago.

Now he’ll be a major part of the Ohio State offense that also features superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith, potential stars Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss, as well as top-tier running backs. Oh, and Klare is now with a tight end room full of veterans including Will Kacmarek, Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman.

Carson Hinzman on Rimington Trophy preseason watch list

Ohio State center Carson Hinzman learned from the Rimington Trophy winner a year ago. Seth McLaughlin won that award despite missing the final six games of the national championship season. Hinzman stepped in for McLaughlin for that title run, and he’s back to lead the Buckeyes offensive line.

So of course, Hinzman, a national champion center and starter of 18 games across two years for the Buckeyes, landed on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy on Friday. He’ll aim to become the second straight Ohio State center to win the award.

Ohio State previously had back-to-back Rimington Trophy winners in 2016 and 2017, when Pat Elflein won it a year before Billy Price took home the honor. Elflein, Price and McLaughlin joined LeCharles Bentley as the four Buckeyes centers to win the honor.

Now Hinzman has a chance to become the fifth with a dominant redshirt junior season at Ohio State.