Marlin Klein knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but there were days he didn’t think it would be that hard.
The 6-foot-6, 247-pound tight end, who won a 4×100 sprinting championship prior to coming to America, has always been the most athletic player on any field he’s stepped on. While it didn’t change that much with Michigan football − he was named No. 35 in The Athletic’s “Freaks List” this past summer − he did find out there are levels to this.
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That’s why when Klein was asked about what it meant to be named one of the “freaks,” he smiled, then shrugged it off with some perspective.
Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (17) makes a catch against Ohio State safety Sonny Styles (6) during the second half at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
“That’s cool, but winning every game this season is more important to me,” Klein told reporters on Friday, Aug. 8 inside Schembechler Hall. “Yes, it’s cool. A national championship will be even cooler.”
After a handful of years in the shadows behind Colston Loveland from 2021-2023, he credits his “ah-ha” moment to tight ends coach Steve Casula. The man who came from UMass took it to him in the film room in a one-on-one session in 2024.
This was intended to challenge him mentally at the time, so he could be ready for the physical toll that was coming. He’s long heard the phrase “no block, no rock” in Ann Arbor and it was his turn to lean into that position-defining mentality.
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“We went to the jungle,” Klein recalled of his meeting with Casula. “It was really the most critical time of my life. … He helped me to (reach) the standard, which is the Michigan standard, and the Michigan standard is a championship standard. So that equals the best.”
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As Klein described, “the jungle” was focused around run blocking, a new element which Klein was adding to his repertoire. He had never blocked “a soul” in high school, but with Loveland starring as the pass catching tight end, Klein knew his way onto the field was to dig deep and lean into his physicality.
While he credits Casula with challenging him, there was another player in the room who also helped with his new thought process: Max Bredeson.
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As Klein puts it, the former walk-on taught him his “kind of psycho mentality” around the game and the joy of putting a hat on another man, moving him physically and taking his will.
“When I first got here, I was like, ‘this might be a little crazy,'” Klein admitted. “But hanging around him and just really seeing how much he actually loves the game of football, that’s why he is the way he is, and that’s why he is the best at what he does in the country.”
These days, Bredeson looks up to Klein as well. When serving as a team representative at Big Ten media days in July in Las Vegas, the fullback didn’t even pause for a second when asked who he believes will be this year’s breakout player on offense: Klein.
Klein got his first taste of factoring into game plan’s last year as he caught 13 passes for 108 yards. That included a career-high 43 yards against Arkansas State when Loveland was injured and three catches for 13 yards against Ohio State, including a pair of first downs.
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First year offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey hadn’t seen all the work that had gone in the past three years after he was brought over from Cologne, Germany, but did see the specimen he has to work with now and didn’t hesitate to call him “one of the best blockers (at tight end) in the country.”
“Got really good speed, He can get vertical quick. Big, rangy target,” Lindsey said, lauding him. “You like that as a quarterback, where obviously it’s a lot easier if a guy is covered and throw it to the spot and let him go get it.
“A really talented kid. I’m excited to coach him, and hopefully he’ll have a big role in our offense.”
There’s no doubt there’s a massive hole to be filled at the tight end spot. Loveland is either No. 1 or No. 2 in terms of best tight ends in modern U-M history (Jake Butt, Mackey Award winner in 2016, would be the other) and he led the program in every single receiving category a season ago.
Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (17) warm up before the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
The room has plenty of options: Hogan Hansen (if he gets back to full health) could be key, Jalen Hoffman shined in the spring game and a few players and coaches have mentioned Deakon Tonielli’s promise. But far and away, the X-factor not just for the unit, but the offense, seems to be the tight end who didn’t learn to block until after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“I’ve never really put the pressure on myself, like I’ve got big shoes to fill,” Klein said. “(Loveland) left a legacy here. He’s a Michigan legend. But I’m my own person, and I’ll leave my legacy here.”
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football TE Marlin Klein ready to ‘leave my legacy here’
