How Ohio State TE Nate Roberts has become a trusted offensive threat
· Yahoo Sports
Ohio State tight end Nate Roberts has flashed as an offensive weapon in his first games as a starter.
"The guy has continued to work," Ohio State offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. "Nate's a young player. ... And obviously, with the season Jeremiah [Smith] has had, sometimes it kind of overshadows, but that's why you keep working. And sometimes you see one go through the hoop."
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After recording only two catches for 34 yards in the opening two games, Roberts scored his first touchdown. He took a 3-yard pass from quarterback Julian Sayin an extra 3 yards across the goal line against Kent State on Sept. 19.
"It was much needed," Roberts said.
Roberts followed up his two-reception outing against Kent State with four catches (36 yards) in a 42-19 win over Illinois.
That gives Roberts eight catches, which is more than all of the other Buckeyes tight ends combined (6). In fact, only wide receivers Jeremiah Smith, who leads the nation with 33 catches, and Devin McCuin (13) have more catches than Roberts. Brandon Inniss has also logged eight.
But according to offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, the plays Roberts has created leave a bigger impression than his stats, specifically when Roberts converted a short-yardage pass on fourth-and-7 into a first down.
"So, he scores in the flat the week before, and makes a heck of a play on a got-to-have-it situation," Smith said. "To me, that's how you build trust. When the coach says, 'Hey, go for it,' and you've got to convert, and he makes a big play."
Roberts, a four-star recruit out of Washington, Oklahoma, joined the Buckeyes in 2025 and spent his first season behind future second-round draft pick Max Klare and veteran Will Kacmarek.
Despite Roberts playing just 265 snaps in 13 games as a freshman, Ohio State coach Ryan Day suggested that last year was crucial in developing a baseline trust in the current sophomore.
"Coming out of high school, we thought he was somebody who could do everything for us at tight end," Day said. "And was athletic enough to run routes and do what we needed in the passing game. ... Now, it's the ability to sustain throughout a long conference season."
With Ohio State set to face four top-25 ranked opponents across the next six weeks, Roberts has expressed a newfound confidence to "step up" and be an offensive threat, which stemmed from scoring that first touchdown.
"I'm glad Julian had his eyes up and saw me down there," Smith said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio State TE Nate Roberts has become a trusted offensive threat