The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539777
OCTOBER 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 29 "Man!" he marveled. "Obviously, the culture is completely different, being a suburb kid in one of the bigger cities to the middle of nowhere. I didn't really know what was going on. I didn't know any of the restaurants, fast food chains — Chick fil-A, Zaxby's — everything was new to me. But it was never a bad thing. I adjusted, and I loved it. Georgia, that's where I want to live at some point. I love that place." It never hurts to enjoy a full-focus sport to pursue at such times. Klein em- braced his adopted passion, earning in- credibly quick feedback that he'd headed in the right direction. "I got there, and in Week 2, I got my first Division I offer, from Arizona State," Klein said. "That obviously helped a lot. But then I had to make the call to my par- ents. Hey, I might not be here for just one year. I might be gone for quite a while. But it definitely helped a lot, getting some positive feedback that this was the right decision." The third offer proved to be the charm. Moore still coached tight ends at Michi- gan during Klein's recruitment, and he wound up extending the invitation to come to yet another venue and look around. By then, Klein had settled in somewhat, but what he discovered in Ann Arbor in 2020 stirred up very famil- iar feelings. THE BIG HOUSE CALLS "I came up here on a visit, walk- ing around, seeing some of the people, seeing the facilities from the outside," he said. "I wasn't even able to come in, because it was COVID when I came up here. But I walked around Ann Arbor, and it gave me the vibes of home. It really reminded me of Germany. I knew right away this was going to be the spot. "With the tight ends' success here, the school and the whole package I had lay- ing in front of me. That was something I wasn't going to be able to pass on." He didn't get to pass on more ad- versity. Not in his dues-paying first two seasons, during which he secured a mere 1 catch. Not even when he be- came a starter this season. That amazing night under the lights in the opener spun into an Oklahoma-week ankle injury in practice that wiped out, for Klein, one of his most anticipated appearances of the 2025 campaign. "You always have a couple of games every year circled on your calendar," he said. "That was, for sure, one of them. So, it was really tough. Getting hurt in practice earlier in the week, and trying to push toward giving it a go." He spent countless hours in Schem- bechler Hall, with trainers and staff try- ing to get him ready. This time around, the answer was later, rather than Sooners. "I went on the plane and still had hope of playing," he said. "Once I came out there for warmups, I knew. I wasn't going to be able to give the team my best shot at winning the game, with my an- kle. Obviously it was heartbreaking, but being a captain, you've got to switch your mind and be there for the guys, en- courage them and do whatever you can off the field to help them out." It wasn't easy for anyone, as the game played out. "No doubt," Klein offered. "As a com- petitor, you always want to be out there and help your team win the game. The way that game was going, it made it even tougher on me, not being able to do anything to help the team. I wasn't worried about who was going to be in there at my position. Those guys work their tails off every single day, and did a pretty damned good job out there." On the cusp of the Big Ten season, Klein knows exactly what he wants — and not just from himself. "My expectation for me and this of- fense is to be the best in the country, every single day," Klein assured. "That truly comes with being here at Michi- gan. The excellence this university brings, the kind of football program we have here at Michigan, really requires excellence. We fall short whenever we're not perfect. That's what we strive for. I'm going to take whatever I have done best and that's going to be my standard. I'm going to hold all the other guys on offense to that standard. "Every time you do something great, your standard resets, because now you know what you can do. That's what I'm going to hold those guys accountable to." Klein's made some great leaps over the past few years. He knows what he wants out of this one, accentuated in a players-only meeting following the loss at Oklahoma. "Some of the captains just got up and talked to the guys a little bit," Klein re- called. "They said, 'We lost Week 2 last year, but this ain't last year. We're a com- pletely different team, and I promise you, it's not going to be the same ending that we had last year.'" Speaking of happy endings, Klein would love to make the NFL and earn enough money to bring his family to the United States. But that's for later. There's work to do right now. ❏ Hitting The Recent Standard It's not yet clear what Michigan's top tight end will accumulate this year, numbers-wise. Here's a look at what the last five seasons of Michigan lead tight ends have produced. 2024, Colston Loveland — 56 catches, 582 yards, 5 touchdowns (led team in receiving). He became the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, taken by the Chicago Bears. 2023, Loveland — 45 catches, 649 yards, 4 TDs. Loveland helped the Wolverines to a national championship, playing in all 15 games. 2022, Luke Schoonmaker — 35 catches, 418 yards, 3 TDs. Schoonmaker went to Dallas as the 58th pick (second round) of the 2023 NFL Draft. 2021, Erick All — 38 catches, 437 yards, 2 TDs. (Injured in 2022, transferred to Iowa for 2023 and was a fourth-round NFL Draft pick by the Bengals in 2024.) 2020, All — 12 catches, 82 yards, 0 TDs. (Short season, COVID) — John Borton ❱ Klein "The excellence this university brings, the kind of foot- ball program we have here at Michigan, really requires excellence. We fall short whenever we're not perfect. That's what we strive for."