With Colston Loveland now in the NFL, Michigan tight end Marlin Klein is eager to step up for the Wolverines this fall:
The Michigan Wolverines are set to begin fall camp next week, and players like tight end Marlin Klein have been clamoring to return to the football field.
“I can’t wait, I’ve been waiting all summer,” Klein told Maize n Brew at the third annual Champions Circle Golf Classic. “So excited to get it going next Monday with fall camp and obviously August 30th for the first game.”
Mostly serving as a blocking tight end alongside Colston Loveland, Klein — who is now heading into his fourth year in Ann Arbor — posted modest numbers last season, catching 13 passes for 108 yards. But with Loveland now in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, Klein is expected to have an increased role in 2025.
Klein learned a lot from his time playing with Loveland, whose rock-solid work ethic rubbed off on the German pass catcher.
“Really how he approaches every single day,” Klein said of Loveland. “He’s the same guy every day, comes to work with the mindset every day. And really that’s been the biggest thing for me — just watching him and learning so many things from him without him saying a word, especially the route running. So it will be really fun doing all that on the field this year.”
Tight end is a position that is tough for any player to learn, considering all the play sets to remember, the routes to run, and the protections to memorize. Klein admitted that playing tight end was a tough adjustment after only catching passes in high school.
“It didn’t come natural to me,” Klein said. “Growing up, just playing receiver, always was the tallest and fastest kid on the field. Didn’t play tight end or block a soul until I got here, so that was really the biggest adjustment for me. But yeah, it’s been super fun. I’ve just been so grateful to learn all these skills.”
Klein caught passes from a few different quarterbacks last season, but that likely won’t be the case this year. With Warren sidelines with a torn ACL, Klein and the other receivers and tight ends could be catching passes from freshman Bryce Underwood , redshirt freshman Jadyn Davis, East Carolina transfer Jake Garcia or Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene. Klein was complementary of the talent in that position group.
“So many great things,” Klein said of the quarterback room. “We have so many different options now, obviously bringing Bryce in, but also Mikey Keene, Jake Garcia. Just feeling so good about the depth that we got now. None of them are the same player, but I’m really excited for the start of fall camp Monday and watching them battle it out.”