Transfer tight end Bauer Sharp, who spent just two seasons as a quarterback, might play a significant role in the Sooners’ offense in 2024.
After a lackluster season from
tight end room, the Sooners knew they would need to add to the position group as the team transitions into the SEC.
With Austin Stogner graduating and Blake Smith transferring to Texas State, OU desperately needed to add a playmaker to Joe Jon Finely’s group.
That’s exactly what the Sooners got in Southeastern Louisiana tight end transfer’
In his final season with the Lions, Sharp notched 54 touches for 421 yards and eight touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, the Dothan, AL, native has the size and athleticism to make an impact in Oklahoma’s offense during his first year with the program.
“This is his fourth year in college football; he’s fearless, strong, and has adjusted well. I think he will have an impact at OU,” Mark Willoughby, a radio broadcaster from Southeastern Louisiana, told AllSooners. “Hard child, fierce rival. Raw in the tight end position, but makes up for it with strength, size, and agility.
Sharp has only played tight end for the Lions for two years, but carrying a fair amount of the team’s offensive load this season.
The former standout player from Dothan was recruited by SLU to play quarterback, but he decided to switch to tight end because the school had a glut of strong passers.
Willoughby continued, “Sharp’s play style and physicality also played a part in him making the move.”
Willoughby stated, “To capitalize on Bauer’s raw talent, moving to tight end was dictated by following in Cole Kelley’s footsteps.” “His size, athleticism, linebacker mentality, and the pressing need at tight end position made him a strong candidate for a conversion.”
Sooner supporters should be pleased to see Sharp’s athleticism, particularly considering the team’s lack of a dynamic tight end option in 2023.
Because of his athleticism, the fourth-year player can fill a variety of roles, as evidenced by the various ways SLU’s offense has used Sharp.
The exceptional tight end had action as a receiver for 136 snaps, a run blocker for 132 snaps, a pass blocker for 19 snaps, and a ball carrier out of the backfield for 25 snaps during the previous season.
Pro Football Focus reports that in 2023, Sharp’s overall offensive grade was 80.7.
Sharp’s athleticism was also praised by Willoughby, who explained how it helped the veteran tight end assist the Lions’ offense in a number of ways.
Bauer’s athleticism is his strongest suit. Willoughby stated, “It’s quick enough to outrun linebackers and safeties in coverage, split wide, and get deep.” “Has the quickness to break a big play if he reads blocks correctly, the strength to run through tackles, and an excellent sense of the goal line in wildcat.” Some traits of Taysom Hill: “Excellent receiving skills and a hard-nosed runner with the ball in hand; his overall game needs work, but the upside is enormous.”
With Jake Roberts, a transfer from Baylor, returning players Josh Fanuiel and Kade McIntyre, plus incoming freshman Davon Mitchell, the Sooners should have a much more competitive and versatile tight end room in 2024.
Seth Littrell and company should be able to add a receiving aspect at tight end, something Dillon Gabriel did not have last season, if they can make use of Sharp’s skill set.
Jackson Arnold, a true sophomore who is starting his first season as a full-time starter, should benefit greatly from having a large, athletic tight end to rely on as a blocker and receiver. Arnold was formerly a five-star recruit.
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After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 2022, Randall Sweet has covered collegiate, professional, and high school sports throughout the Sooner State. Sweet has jobs at the Sooner Sports Pad, OU Daily, and OU Nightly throughout her time in college. The native of Lubbock, Texas, is a staff writer with AllSooners and Inside the Thunder, and she has bylines in the Norman Transcript and VisitOKC.com.
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