Closer Look: Buckeyes Landed A Complete Tight End In Nate Roberts

Over his final three years of high school football at Washington High School in Washington, Oklahoma, Ohio State freshman tight end Nate Roberts caught 113 passes for 2,369 yards and 31 touchdowns. Each of those three seasons he averaged over 20 yards per catch, which provides a pretty good idea of Roberts’ play-making ability. As a senior, he caught 42 passes for 848 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Roberts (6-5 235) was the No. 10 tight end in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 203 player overall per the 247Sports Composite. He signed with Ohio State over offers from Oklahoma, Alabama, Ole Miss, Georgia, Michigan, LSU, Notre Dame, and every other national power.

What To Like

The first thing that jumps out after watching Nate Roberts’ senior and junior highlights is that he is a skilled athlete who doesn’t have to fight the ball or struggle to run routes or get open. None of it looks unnatural or difficult for him. His ball skills are as good as you’ll find in a big, legitimate high school tight end.

While Roberts has lined up outside, he’s spent even more time lined up at tight end. He’s not a big high school wide receiver who simply has to move to tight end in college because he’s not athletic enough to play receiver. He has experience as a tight end and won’t have to learn how to block or operate in a high-traffic area. Playing tight end is his comfort zone.

And yet, as the clips below show, he catches the ball like a wide receiver.

Ohio State freshman tight end Nate Roberts has some of the best hands you'll find in a HS tight end. pic.twitter.com/AxJfoac7eq
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) May 27, 2025

The Potential

The Buckeyes have the deepest tight end room in America and Nate Roberts may have more potential than anybody else in that room. He has the size, strength, athleticism, and willingness to be in any kind of offense on any down in any situation. He is not a pigeonhole tight end.

Roberts isn’t “just” a run-blocking tight end, or the guy who only splits out as a pass catcher. He can be the lone tight end or the second tight end in a 12 personnel package — and he can be either tight end in that scenario. And when he is part of the passing game, he can make plays after the catch. The clips below bear that out.

Nate Roberts is also a weapon after the catch. pic.twitter.com/CtJ4FRL5KH
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) May 27, 2025

The Expectations

Nate Roberts will be one of seven scholarship tight ends on the Ohio State roster this season, so this is not only the best tight end room in college football, but it’s also the most crowded. However, tight ends coach Keenan Bailey showed last year that he will play whoever has earned snaps. There were nine games last year where the Buckeyes played five tight ends.

Roberts is just a freshman, but he enrolled early and had a productive spring. He may be learning how to play college football but he’s not learning a new position. He’s a physical tight end with the ability to move the chains. He will almost certainly get his four games this season, but don’t be surprised if he gets more than that.

Gone are the days of the Buckeyes having to use an offensive or defensive lineman to be an extra tight end in the running game.

Nate Roberts has also handed out his fair share of pancakes. pic.twitter.com/x9JLWqMHhw
— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) May 27, 2025

The Bottom Line

The Buckeyes don’t need Nate Roberts this year. They went to the portal and added potential All-American Max Klare out of Purdue. They return co-starter Will Kacmarek for his final season. Bennett Christian and Jelani Thurman are regulars at this point as well. Redshirt freshman Max LeBlanc is also ready for a larger role. That being said, the best players will play.

Roberts had a very good spring, which is not easy for a freshman. Expect that momentum to continue through the summer and into fall camp. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Roberts redshirt this year, but it also seems like it’s just a matter of time before he is making his mark in an Ohio State uniform.

The clips below from last month’s spring game can be considered foreshadowing.