Michigan TE Marlin Klein excited for breakout opportunity after 'rough two years'
Michigan Wolverines junior tight end Marlin Klein took a very different path than classmate and star Colston Loveland. Loveland was a contributor with a bright future right out of the box, earning a role as a freshman in 2022. He enters the 2024 season as arguably the best tight end in the country.
Klein, a German native who played high school football in Georgia, had to wait his turn through some frustrating bumps in the road. Now through the first two years of his development, he is poised for a breakout role in a tandem role with Loveland. Throughout the offseason, he has been labeled as one of the biggest risers with a chance to star.
He is ready for his time in the spotlight.
“I think I’m ready for it,” Klein said on Friday morning in Ann Arbor. “It’s been kind of a rough two years for me. It’s not so rough winning the national championship and Big Ten championships, but I think I’ve waited my turn… I think it’s paid off so far. So super excited for the season to start.”
There is an adjustment period to making the jump to the college level. Each guy was a star in the school he came from, but you start from the bottom and work your way up on even footing with your peers. The ego hit can make or break a player, and Klein had to push through it upon his arrival.
“Just not playing, just being the competitor that I am and sitting behind guys [was tough],” Klein said. “but I had the chance to learn so many things from those guys that I sat behind like Luke Schoonmaker, Erick All, AJ Barner. All those guys are playing the NFL right now, so it’s been great.
“At first, when I came in as a freshman, it was really just kind of stubbornness. I had to grow up real fast, just realizing I wasn’t ready to play, and those guys were better. And then just starting to be better every day and learn from those guys as much as I can.”
Klein is relatively new to the spot after playing soccer in Germany before moving to the United States. He is known for his speed and athleticism – something Loveland has said Klein might even outdo him with – but had to learn the nuances of the sport.
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“I think overall, just coming out of high school, I was just the fast guy, and moving over here in 2019… I just started playing football about six or seven years ago,” Klein said. “So just really learning the game, I was already an established athlete, but like, just learning how to play the game.
“Coming out of high school, I really never put my hand in the dirt. That’s kind of the reason why I came here, to play with the best, play against the best. Michigan is really a top school in the country. So putting my hand in the dirt, and just being more physical for the first time. Coming out of high school, I think that was the biggest challenge for me, but like I said, being able to learn from those guys that have done that for multiple years has been great.”
His development is accelerated by going up against one of the best defensive lines in the country, which has helped him build up the mentality it takes to be successful as a Michigan tight end.
“I don’t recall a specific welcome-to-college moment, but I think it helps us a lot,” Klein said. “Just going against the best defense in the country every single day. That makes it easier on Saturdays. You know, just guys like TJ [Guy], Derrick [Moore] like all those guys, Josiah [Stewart]. Those guys are the best in the country.
“So going against them is gonna help us a lot and make our job easier on the weekends.”
Klein has one career catch for 8 yards, which came in the 49-0 win over Michigan State last season. Barring any unforeseen setbacks, he should match or surpass that mark fairly quickly in 2024.
