5 months ago
DALLAS, Texas -- For an discourtesy pinch nan champion receiving trio successful nan sport, Ohio State has leaned connected its tight ends much than anyone could person imagined this season.
But possibly nan astir astonishing domiciled successful that deployment belongs to freshman tight extremity Nate Roberts, who has doubled arsenic a fullback truthful acold this twelvemonth for Ohio State.
It’s been a caller wrinkle for nan Buckeyes’ offense, while besides existing arsenic a root of vexation for immoderate fans each play long. But whenever Ohio State has gotten into reddish area aliases short yardage situations this season, it has relied connected nan existent freshman tight extremity to play retired of nan backfield successful an progressively acquainted role.
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“It really started successful autumn camp,” Roberts said during media time astatine nan Cotton Bowl. “Patrick Gurd, he was successful nan portal, truthful they needed personification to measurement up. And I was benignant of nan only feline that was benignant of capable to beryllium capable to play that fullback position. And I wasn’t nan starter astatine nan Big Y position aliases nan hybrid H. So I was benignant of conscionable trying to find my role. And (tight ends) coach (Keenan Bailey) put maine successful astatine a afloat backmost 1 time and tried it retired and I did beautiful bully for my first time. So it benignant of conscionable started rolling since then.”
Roberts has played 160 snaps this season, conscionable 61 of which person travel from nan in-line tight extremity position, per Pro Football Focus. He’s played 80 snaps successful nan backfield.
Of those 160 full snaps, 127 person been run-blocking snaps -- meaning, erstwhile he’s connected nan field, Ohio State has tally nan shot 79.37% of nan time.
The accommodation for Roberts has, astatine times this season, surely been noticeable. Throughout his shot career, he’d ne'er played fullback until he sewage to Ohio State. Now, he was not only playing nan game, but seeing nan game, from a wholly different viewpoint.
“There’s much to afloat backmost than I thought,” Roberts said. “It’s not, ‘You conscionable tally down and...’ There’s a batch to it, but coach Kee has decidedly helped maine passim each that. And arsenic a young player, I’ve been capable to study truthful much. It’s bully to study fullback and moreover tight end, some astatine specified a young age. I cognize it’ll thief maine retired done my process.”
Bailey liked what he saw from Roberts early successful autumn camp, which made him consciousness assured successful making him their short-yardage and reddish area fullback.
“He’s athletic,” Bailey said. “His short-area quickness helps playing successful nan backfield a small bit. And again, it conscionable changes up angles and leverage. You move connected these NFL games, I mean, everybody’s benignant of putting a tight extremity successful nan backfield conscionable again for leverage. We’re blocking bigger people.”
He added that Roberts impressed him pinch his expertise to study quickly, and set to immoderate has been thrown his way.
“He was unfastened to it -- and he was benignant of thrown into nan occurrence early successful nan year,” Bailey said. “Definitely learned from immoderate mistakes and whatnot, but it’s been great. He is simply a accelerated learner, and he has a bully feel, for illustration a earthy feel, which you person to beryllium playing fullback astatine times. When he started playing shot successful small league, he played backmost and he long-snapped for Washington High School. He’s conscionable a shot player.”
Now, accepted contented would opportunity to put tight extremity Will Kacmarek -- personification Bailey has referred to aggregate times arsenic nan champion blocking tight extremity successful nan federation -- successful nan backfield to get him much run-blocking snaps successful those situations. With a afloat caput of steam, he could thief pave nan measurement for reliable yards.
But, that would mean moving personification for illustration him, Max Klare aliases Bennett Christian disconnected nan statement of scrimmage and distant from protect linemen and extracurricular linebackers. Bailey and nan Buckeyes consciousness it’s champion to person them play successful a emblematic tight extremity position, astatine nan constituent of attack.
“You want to utilize Will’s magnitude connected nan edge,” Bailey explained. “He could broaden that separator because he’s a large dude and he’s ace heavy connected nan separator there. Whereas Nate, he mightiness beryllium a small spot much nimble, but decidedly doesn’t person yet the spot that (Kacmarek) has successful nan C-gap."
Kacmarek is listed astatine 6-foot-6 and 258 pounds, while Roberts is listed astatine 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds.
Still processing arsenic a player, his versatility and burst of athleticism is what Ohio State likes retired of its talented young tight end. For now, though, he’s playing a circumstantial domiciled successful circumstantial situations.
“If you told maine I was going to beryllium nan fullback for nan Ohio State Buckeyes, I astir apt wouldn’t judge you,” Roberts said pinch a smile. “But now that I am, I’m very grateful and very excited and very blessed for nan opportunity that I have. I’ve taken afloat advantage of it. I’m trying to get amended each week, but it’s been great.”
Ohio State struggled successful nan reddish area against Indiana successful nan Big Ten Championship Game, which brought disapproval of nan team’s usage of its tight ends -- specifically, by taking prima receivers Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate disconnected nan field.
It’s unclear if that level of usage (five tight ends played against Indiana, including 3 pinch 23 aliases much snaps retired of nan team’s 57 total), including Roberts astatine fullback, will proceed against Miami successful nan Cotton Bowl.
But, successful immoderate case, playing Roberts astatine his newfound spot surely won’t beryllium a semipermanent endeavor.
From Washington, Oklahoma, Roberts was nan No. 203 wide imaginable and No. 10 tight extremity successful nan 247Sports composite rankings successful nan 2025 recruiting class. His upside astatine tight extremity is clear, and nan semipermanent outlook is supremely positive.
And for Roberts and nan Buckeyes, nan dream is that nan domiciled he carved retired during his freshman play will 1 time salary dividends.
“The sky’s nan limit,” Bailey said. “I’m going to thin connected Nate to beryllium nan early of this tight extremity room. I don’t make immoderate bones astir that. When I was recruiting him retired of Norman, nan scheme was ever travel in, gain a role, he’s done it. But going forward, he needs to clasp nan banner of this tight extremity room.”
