Michigan football could have a big hole to fill on an already sputtering offense.
Tight end Colston Loveland left early with an apparent arm injury after the first play of the third quarter against Arkansas State. Prior to exiting the game for good, Loveland left in the second quarter favoring his left arm after coming down with a 20-yard catch that was waved off. He tried to come back in on the first play of the second half, but had to leave after landing hard on his arm again.
In steps Marlin Klein, the Wolverines' backup tight end. Klein, a junior out of Germany, is now playing for Loveland in a key spot of the Wolverines' passing offense. Loveland is Michigan's leading pass catcher, coming into Saturday with 16 catches for 157 yards, and had three catches before leaving.
Klein came in and caught two passes for 40 yards before quarterback Davis Warren finished the half with an interception. True freshman Hogan Hansen, a four-star recruit from Washington, is also getting some snaps at tight end and found his way into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to put Michigan up 28-3.
Klein waited for a chance to play at Michigan behind a talented and veteran-laden offense in years past. A native of Cologne, Germany, he decided to switch to football after growing up playing soccer. He moved to Georgia and played three years of high school football, where he developed into a three-star recruit in Michigan's 2022 class, according to 247Sports.
He has played sparingly during his college career and came into Saturday with two career receptions for 15 yards in 14 career appearances. But, there is hope for his potential. He has added nearly 50 pounds to his frame since coming to Michigan, up to 245 at 6 feet 6, and was named as one of the top 100 athletes in college football by the Athletic in the preseason. In the offseason, Loveland said Klein was the strongest player in the tight end room.
"There's nothing on a football field that Marlin probably can't do," tight end coach Steve Casula said in April. "We feel comfortable -- I said this the other day in a staff meeting, if Marlin Klein had to go play every play in the game, we'd be good with that. We view Marlin very much as like he's in a starting role."
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22, and email him at [email protected].