Marlin Klein makes 'big move' in spring according to Steve Casula
With Michigan not addressing the tight end position through the portal so far, it has allowed others not named Colston Loveland to have a chance to cement a spot on the depth chart heading into fall camp during spring practices.
One of the benefactors of the extra snaps and opportunities is Marlin Klein, someone the coaching staff have been high on for quite some time and have waited to put it all together.
It appears, for now, that he is well on his way to having a major role for the program this season.
"A guy that's made a big move this spring is Marlin Klein," TE coach Steve Casula told the media this week. "Obviously, everyone has been aware of Mar for a long time but I think Mar will be a guy who gets a lot of great opportunities and he's worked hard and he's worked to earn and deserve that so we're really excited about where he's at, too."
Casula has been an admirer of Klein since his arrival in Ann Arbor. Just missing his arrival before departing for UMass, it hasn't taken long for Casula to realize what he has in the tight end room.
He has made it clear that the program is very comfortable with Klein getting a larger role and trusting him to perform on the field in big moments.
"I wasn't here with Mar in his first two years but there's nothing on a football field that Marlin probably can't do," Casula said. "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. Whether that means on the first play of our season he will be on the field, I don't know that. Don't know what the play will be.
"Marlin has had an outstanding, exceptional, spring. I'm really proud of him for just kind of hanging in there and stacking day, after day, after day, after day. Not that every day has been perfect but Marlin is incredibly gifted, he's serious about football, he trains hard with Tress and Lock. He goes about his business the right way each and every day and so excited and fortunate to be his coach. Marlin Klein is really, really good and we're really excited about him."
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