Finley, Sooners address sparse TE room with a commitment from Bauer Sharp
With Austin Stogner exiting the program at the conclusion of the 2023 season, Oklahoma will have zero tight ends currently on the roster who have logged a start at the college level.
While names like Kaden Helms and Kade McIntyre certainly bring intrigue to the room, they offer little experience at a pivotal position in the Sooners' offensive game plan under new offensive coordinator Seth Littrell.
Adding a tight end with experience in the transfer portal was always going to be a priority in the 2024 cycle, and the Sooners have landed just that in Southeastern Louisiana transfer Bauer Sharp.
Don't let Sharp's affiliation with an FCS program fool you — this is the kind of football player that Brent Venables is looking for in the portal. The Sooners weren't the only team that could see what kind of talent Sharp is. He's heard from Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, Penn State, Mississippi State, and Louisville, among several other Power Five programs since entering the transfer portal.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Sharp is about as intriguing a portal prospect as you'll see from a story perspective.
A redshirt sophomore from Dothan (Ala.), Sharp is only two years into his journey as a tight end as he was recruited to Southeastern Louisiana as a quarterback in the Class of 2021. He officially made a switch to tight end before the 2022 season and caught 11 passes for 78 yards and one score. Then, in 2023, he turned in 29 receptions for 288 yards and three scores, adding 25 rushes for 133 yards and five touchdowns as a "wildcat quarterback," all while operating in a run-heavy offensive scheme.
It doesn't take a football genius to flip on the tape and see why Sharp is an asset to Oklahoma's offense in 2024 and beyond. He's a fluid athlete and moves incredibly well for a player of his stature. What's better is, that this is a kid that seems to be about the right things.
During an interview with Jon Johnson of the Dothan Eagle, a newspaper from Sharp's hometown, the coveted tight end received a phone call from Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables.
“Hold on…I’m sorry, the head coach of Oklahoma just FaceTimed me … can I take that?" Sharp asked during the interview.
“Coach Venables … I have to constantly pinch myself. I’ve been talking to their tight ends coach. We’re probably going to set up a visit to Oklahoma.”
That visit did, in fact, get set up, bringing the third-highest-graded tight end in FCS to Norman, where he's decided he'll spend the next two seasons working with tight ends coach and co-offensive coordinator, Joe Jon Finley.
Sharp is the definition of a big fish in a little pond coming from Southeastern Louisiana, and with an Oklahoma tight end room that lacks experience heading into 2024, is also a major addition who will make an immediate impact for the Sooners.
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