Nate Roberts is now in Ohio State's 2025 recruiting class. Here's what it means

Two hours before Ohio State football's spring game Saturday, tight ends coach Keenan Bailey added to his 2025 recruiting class.

2025 four-star tight end Nate Roberts joined the Buckeyes' recruiting class, picking OSU over programs such as Oklahoma and Oregon. And Bailey did not hide his excitement for Roberts' addition.

"ohio staTE," Bailey posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Here's what Roberts' addition means to Ohio State.

What does Nate Roberts' commitment mean for the 2025 class?

In Roberts, Ohio State secures its top tight end prospect in the 2025 class.

Roberts proved to be high on Ohio State's list as a 6-foot-4, 235-pound athlete that is ranked as the No. 118 player and No. 5 tight end in the country per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Roberts told The Dispatch that he views himself as being whatever tight end Ohio State wanted him to be, from blocking next to an offensive tackle to being a pass catcher out wide or in the slot.

“The biggest thing about it is how useful they are,” Roberts said.

Ohio State is off to a slower start to building its offense in the 2025 class. While the Buckeyes secured Roberts, four-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair, four-star offensive tackle Carter Lowe and four-star wide receiver De'zie Jones, Ohio State lost a commitment from four-star wide receiver Jayvan Boggs.

But the Buckeyes remain in the hunt for top offensive talent like offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. and wide receiver Jaime Ffrench.

Roberts is another example of Ohio State getting who it wants at a position of need. That's a good sign for the Buckeyes as they continue to build the 2025 class.

What does Nate Roberts' commitment mean for Keenan Bailey?

Roberts is next in line in what has seemingly been a revamped approach to tight end recruiting at Ohio State.

After signing players such as Joe Royer, Sam Hart and Bennett Christian between 2019-22 who have not made much of an impact at the college level — forcing the Buckeyes to move players like Gee Scott Jr. and Cade Stover to tight end — Ohio State made tight end a major focus in 2023 and 2024.

In 2023, Ohio State landed Jelani Thurman: the No. 3 tight end in the class who said former Ohio State offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Kevin Wilson told him the Buckeyes didn't have a combination of blocking and receiving skills like him.

In 2024, Bailey, who took over for Wilson, continued that trend, securing Max LeBlanc — an all-around tight end for Baylor School in Tennessee — and Damarion Witten, who likens himself to Georgia's Brock Bowers.

“They told me I’m a mismatch tight end,” Witten said. “I can stay flex, just go outside (as a) receiver and match up with a DB, every time it’s a mismatch. It’s really like how I want to be: a mismatch, play tight end and receiver at the same time.”

This is a position that continues to develop under Bailey, who has worked as an intern or quality control coach with each part of the offense before taking over the tight ends room.

With Roberts, Bailey and Ohio State continues to hone a well-rounded and aggressive tight end room that could play much more of a factor in years to come.

Could Nate Roberts start for Ohio State in 2025?

But one of Ohio State coach Ryan Day's calling cards is tight end being a "developmental position."

With the responsibilities in both blocking and pass catching, younger tight ends do not see the field much for the Buckeyes. In 2023, Thurman recorded 24 total snaps as a true freshman, playing in five games.

In 2025, Thurman would be entering his third season with the Buckeyes, while LeBlanc and Witten would be heading into their second years. Ohio State would also have Will Kacmarek, an Ohio transfer who joined the Buckeyes ahead of the 2024 season with two seasons of eligibility.

Roberts will play a role for Ohio State. But don't expect it to come as a true freshman.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football: What Nate Roberts commitment means to Buckeyes