Purdue not surprised by Max Klare's strong start to 2023 season
Throughout the off-season, the Purdue coaching staff talked about their excitement for Max Klare's career in West Lafayette, but with veterans like Garrett Miller and Paul Piferi expected to have large roles at the tight end spot, what Klare's role would be was a question mark.
It's not a question anymore.
Klare has emerged as one of the top contributors for the Boilermakers' offense this season, starting the first three games of the year and excelling in his role. His coaches and teammates all say the same thing when asked about the redshirt freshman tight end. They have seen his ability for awhile, but now it's finally coming to light.
"I mean we've seen it in practice, throughout the whole fall camp and everything like that," quarterback Hudson Card said after the Virginia Tech win.
"What you're seeing is what we've been seeing since spring ball really," head coach Ryan Walters said following Klare's breakout game in Blacksburg.
"What he's shown on Saturdays is what we've seen since we've been here," offensive coordinator Graham Harrell said. "Over the last couple of weeks, he's started to show up."
You may think a young breakout player like Klare may have surprised himself by what he's done to start the season, but the humble yet confident redshirt freshman expected this. Klare credited the work he put in throughout the spring and summer for a fast start to 2023.
"I wouldn't say I'm surprised. I put in the work, based off of the summer and spring ball, you know, I'm not surprised," Klare said.
Klare also gave credit to his coaches and position mates Garrett Miller and Drew Biber for putting him in a position to be successful and helping him as he assumes the role as the top tight end for the Boilermakers.
"It's been good, coaches have put me in a great position to succeed. Practice has been good, practicing hard. Obviously Garrett Miller getting healthy helps me a lot too, getting him back on the field. Drew Biber has been playing great as well, so it's been good so far," Klare said.
Harrell and tight ends coach Seth Doege have been very complimentary of Purdue's tight end group since getting to West Lafayette this off-season, marveling at the depth of the group and how they could impact the game. That's what we've seen through three games from the Boilermakers, with Klare at the forefront.
"With a really good tight end room, they make you a lot more versatile as an offense because you can be in a lot of different sets, you can put them in different spots. He creates issues for people, so he's a big asset to the offense for sure," Harrell said.
Klare has turned into one of Hudson Card's favorite targets and a "safety valve" of sorts early in the transfer quarterback's Boilermaker career. The athletic tight end has 15 receptions for 151 yards, which are both good for fourth best on the team.
Purdue's pass catchers have seen a fairly even amount of passes thrown their way from Card in Graham Harrell's Air Raid offense, with four having 131 yards or more and three having 13+ receptions.
Klare is not just one of Purdue's top pass catchers, however. He has been one of the most productive tight ends in all of college football through the first quarter of the season.
After week three, Klare is fourth in receptions and eighth in receiving yards amongst all tight ends in the country. He is also first among freshman tight ends and in the top five of all freshmen in both categories.
Although it's a small sample size, he has outpaced Georgia's Brock Bowers, Iowa's Luke Lachey, and Minnesota's Brevyn Spann-Ford in both categories. All three of which are viewed as some of the top tight ends in the nation.
If you didn't know who Max Klare was and saw how he's played this year, you'd probably think he's a fifth-year senior, but the 2022 recruit is still just 20 years old. Purdue's offensive coordinator even has to remind himself that he is a only freshman at times.
"I think a lot of times you forget how young Max is. Max is still a freshman and that's maybe the craziest part about it, because every time you throw it to him or every time he's out there you kind of expect him to, whether it be in the run game blocking or in the pass game, making plays," Harrell said.
This is just the start of a successful college career for Klare, according to his offensive coordinator. Harrell credits the young playmaker's play on game days to the hard work and dedication he's shown off the field and during practice.
"I think the sky's the limit for Max," Harrell said. "He prepares the right way and I think he's very driven. He does things right and if he continues to do that he could be, this year he'll be really special and then for years to come he'll be really special."
After All-Big Ten performer Payne Durham headed to the NFL, the tight end position was filled with talented players who hadn't proven themselves at the college level yet. It didn't take long for Max Klare to do so.