Tag: Austin Stogner

Bauer Sharp answered the question at tight end for the Sooners

Bauer Sharp impressed in this first game as a Sooner. Can he step up in the passing game?

Coming into the 2024 season, the Oklahoma Sooners had some questions at the tight end position.

Two years ago, [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] was one of the best players on the team, combining his ability as a receiver with his excellent blocking skills to have a very productive season. Though OU went just 6-7, the senior had a career year in his final collegiate season, catching 39 passes for 514 yards and seven touchdowns while opening up holes in the running game.

Last year, the Sooners expected similar contributions from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], who returned to Norman after a year in South Carolina. But the tight end production dipped, as Stogner caught just 17 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown. He also struggled to match Willis’ effectiveness as a blocker. Too often last season, it felt like OU was playing 10-on-11 when running the ball with a tight end in the game.

But that’s where Southeastern Louisiana tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] comes in. After serving as a game captain, he ended the night as OU’s leading receiver with 47 yards on five catches with a touchdown. He seemed to be the only option aside from Burks that could consistently create separation and catch the ball.

Though he came from an FCS school, Sharp looked the part of a Power Four tight end. He and [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] got the initial snaps at tight end, with the latter serving in more of a blocking role. Sharp, who started the game, has been earning high praise since the spring, with one player in his corner being superstar senior linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag].

Sharp displayed sound chemistry with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], often acting as a safety valve over the middle of the field for his quarterback as pressure closed in. With the struggles of the offensive line and the running game, he’ll be asked to provide more in the passing game, especially until the bigger names get healthy.

Of course, it’s only been one game. Maybe the running game will get on track in the next couple of weeks. Maybe the offensive line gets healthy and in sync. Maybe [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag] and the other depth options at wide receiver just had a rough night and will be just fine. Maybe [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] gets back to his pre-injury self much earlier than expected and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is able to stave off any other injuries. .

But in the meantime, Bauer Sharp will need to build on his strong first game in a Sooner uniform to take some of the load off of Arnold and [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. Oklahoma has a struggling Houston squad on the schedule next, before a sneaky non-conference game against Tulane. The Sooners need to use the next two weeks to find a rhythm and an identity running and throwing the ball in [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s offense before the Tennessee Volunteers and conference play arrive on their doorstep on September 21st.

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Oklahoma Sooners have to get something out of the tight end spot

Tight end is flying under the radar as a position that needs to be better for the 2024 Oklahoma Sooners.

After [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] had a breakout 2022 season, there was plenty of optimism about what the Sooners could get out of [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], who returned from South Carolina for the 2023 season.

It didn’t materialize. Although the offense was incredibly efficient and put a bunch of points on the board, it played behind the eight ball with limited production at tight end.

Despite Stogner getting the vast majority of the work, Sooners tight ends combined for 20 receptions for 252 yards and two touchdowns. In 2022, Willis had 39 receptions for 514 yards and seven touchdowns to finish second on the team in receiving.

That’s the kind of production the Sooners need heading into the SEC.

In an effort to get more out of the tight end spot in their offense, the Sooners scoured the transfer portal and brought in the uber-athletic and tough [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and do-it-all veteran [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] to lead the position in 2024.

Sharp is a converted quarterback, but he garnered substantial praise during spring ball. His athleticism and toughness received rave reviews, but it’s going to be a big step going from Southeastern Louisiana to the Southeastern Conference.

Roberts missed much of the spring recovering from an injury, but he has played nearly 1,800 snaps and was a part of [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s North Texas teams before transferring to Baylor for the 2022 season. Last year for the Bears, Roberts had 23 receptions for 231 yards and a touchdown.

It’s likely those two will take on much of the workload for the Sooners this season, but young guns [autotag]Kade McIntyre[/autotag], [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] could earn some snaps as well. Each has abundant athleticism that could provide another playmaking element to the Sooners’ passing game.

Though wide receiver has garnered much of the attention this offseason for the Sooners’ passing attack, Oklahoma needs to get more out of the tight end spot in 2024. And with what it has done on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal, it has the talent to make it happen.

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Where does Oklahoma’s offense rank in EA Sports College Football 25?

How did EA Sports rate the Oklahoma Sooners offense for EA Sports “College Football 25?”

EA Sports is releasing “College Football 25” on July 19 and fans are excited for the return of the college football video game series.

On Thursday, EA released its offensive rankings for the 25 best offenses in the game, and the list featured the Oklahoma Sooners.

“College Football 25” has OU as the 23rd best offense in 2024, and the 8th best offense in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. This comes following the departure of [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] as offensive coordinator and the promotion of co-OCs [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag].

On the field, the Sooners lost quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], who transferred this offseason. He leaves the job to [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], a more than suitable replacement.

Offensive line is the key for the OU offense, as the unit will see five new starters from a year ago. [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag]’s exit in the portal was the biggest blow of the offseason. Nationally, offensive line has been the biggest talking point for the Sooners this offseason.

In the passing game, [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] are gone, but everyone else returns, including [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. Transfer [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] joined this winter to form a very dangerous unit.

In the run game, OU loses both [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] to the transfer portal. However, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] is expected to take full control at running back after leading the Sooners in rushing a year ago. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] will get plenty of carries as well, as a change-of-pace back.

The Sooners will have an 83 overall offense in “College Football 25”, tied with Florida State, Virginia Tech, and USC. But they look like a group, that if the offensive line comes together, could see that rating skyrocket.

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Sooners have a top 10 WR corps in the country according to PFF

Oklahoma is deep and talented at wide receiver this year, and Pro Football Focus ranked the Sooners as one of the ten best WR units in America.

The Oklahoma Sooners have an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position heading into the 2024 season. As OU football exits the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] and moves to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], they’ll be leaning on their strengths in Year 3 of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era. Wide receiver is one of the deepest and most talented units on the roster, even after losing [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag].

[autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] has been excellent since joining the Oklahoma staff from Texas Tech. He’s recruited very well and the unit improved noticeably in his first season as wide receivers coach.

Pro Football Focus agrees that the Sooners are very good at wideout heading into 2024, ranking the Sooners as one of their top 10 receiving corps in the country.

Oklahoma snuck onto the list at No. 10.

Oklahoma brings back five of its six leading receivers from a year ago, losing only Drake Stoops. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is the leader of those returners and was second in the Big 12 last year with 10 touchdowns to only Adonai Mitchell. [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] also came back and combined for 1,109 receiving yards this past season.

The Sooners also found a couple starting pass-catchers in the transfer portal in Purdue wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and Baylor tight end [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag]. Burks was second in the Big Ten with 18 forced missed tackles on receptions in 2023. Despite serving as Baylor’s backup tight end in 2023, Roberts was still ninth in the Big 12 at the position with 143 yards after the catch. – Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus

Anderson, Farooq, Anthony, and Burks figure to be the four players who receive the most targets, but [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] came on very strong as the 2023 season progressed.

Younger players like [autotag]J.J. Hester[/autotag], [autotag]Brenan Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquazie Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag] and [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag] are all providing plenty of depth and were all talented recruits.

At tight end, Roberts may not even start, as [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] got those snaps in the spring game. Four-star true freshman [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] joins [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] and [autotag]Josh Fanuiel[/autotag] in the tight end room as well. [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] will be able to mix and match what he wants from that position, tasked with replacing [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag].

With a talented but unproven quarterback and an overhauled offensive line, look for the weapons in the passing game to be something the offense can lean on this season.

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Bauer Sharp looking to be the guy at tight end for Oklahoma

The Sooners needed to rebuild the tight end room after last season and they may have found their guy in the process.

It’s no secret that tight end was one of the weakest positions on the roster for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023. That’s no shot at [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] because the room would have been a lot worse had he not been there. It simply wasn’t very productive.

Due to injuries and a lack of experience, it was a weakness of the offense. That’s why it was so important for the Sooners rebuilt the tight end depth chart this past offseason. They added transfers [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] and [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and signed one of the top tight ends in the 2024 class, [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag].

But the rave reviews this offseason haven’t been about the extremely talented Mitchell or the guy with the most experience in Roberts. Instead, it’s been all about the former FCS quarterback turned tight end, Bauer Sharp.

“You can get better each and every day,” Sharp shared with the media after practice recently. “I try not to be content. The Lord has blessed me with an opportunity to make some plays here and there so I try to keep doing that but never be content and just keep working for these guys.”

Sharp has been a standout of the spring, with observers raving about his toughness and playmaking ability. He’s got a great mindset to go along with his plus athleticism. It’s a big reason why people think tight end will be among one of the most improved groups on the team.

And if Sharp and the tight ends can provide that toughness and playmaking, it adds another weapon to Jackson Arnold’s and Seth Littrell’s arsenal this fall.

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Kaden Helms on the road to recovery hoping to make an impact in 2024

It’s been over a year since we last saw Kaden Helms on the field but now he’s working his way back from injury hoping to make an impact.

Last year the weakest part of the Oklahoma Sooners offense was undoubtedly the tight end position. A big reason for that was there was no depth behind [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] meaning he was asked to do it all.

One of the key reasons for not having any depth was due to the season-long injury suffered by [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag]. Helms was once a promising recruit in the 2022 recruiting class. Coming out of Nebraska, he was a top 10 tight end in the country and rated as a four-star player.

In his career, he has just one catch, and we haven’t seen him on the field since the game against the Kansas Jayhawks in his freshman season in 2022. But now he is back on the practice field and has kind of been the forgotten man in at tight end.

He spoke to reporters about how his health is doing right now. “My health is pretty good actually,” Helms said. “I was practicing at the beginning of spring ball, kind of getting back into things. I’m kind of doing some lighter stuff, not even knee related, so I can get back out here in the next couple of days. Overall, I’m really excited about how I’m coming along.”

Helms now joins a room that has better depth, but doesn’t have much experience. Transfer [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] has been the talk of the spring ball so far, but he just recently switched to playing tight end. Then of course you have the highly-touted true freshman [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag]. The only player with a lot of experience is [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag].

So, if Helms can get back to fully healthy, he can crack the rotation and show why he was such a highly-touted recruit coming out of high school. But first, it all starts with getting and staying healthy.

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‘I think we’ve got great personnel’: Jackson Arnold excited about his new weapons

While the Sooners lost some guys at the skill positions from last year, they’ve also added some guys that could have big years for Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going to have to replace some weapons they lost from a season ago. Most notably their leading receiver, [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag].

They also lost a veteran presence in the locker room with the departure of tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag].

The Sooners brought in some very talented players that they are very high on, like [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag].

Jackson Arnold spoke about his new weapons for this season when he met with the media after Monday’s practice.

“I think we’ve got great personnel so far,” Arnold said. “Our receiver room is stacked, obviously. Running back room is really good. The (offensive) line group has been great, too. Same as the tight end group. The ball has been spread around a lot this spring. I’m excited for the rest of the spring, the spring game, and the season as a whole.”

Stoops is going to be a big piece to replace, but people think Burks has the potential to be taken in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He’s expected to take the slot position that Stoops occupied. Another player that’s received rave reviews is Bauer Sharp.

Last year, the Sooners had no depth at tight end, and that put a lot of pressure on Stogner to do it all. This year, the Sooners have three to four guys that could make an impact assuming [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] comes back from injury.

Sharp has already made himself known to fans thanks to the OU Football social media account. In one of their practices, Arnold climbed the pocket and found Sharp for a touchdown.

The hope is that’s the first of many this season for Arnold and the tight ends.

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Davon Mitchell officially signs his National Letter of Intent with the Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners big time tight end target is officially on board as he signs with Oklahoma.

In 2023, the tight end position was one of the weaker groups on the team. That’s why it was important for [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] to restock that position as the Oklahoma Sooners head to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

He did just that by getting the commitment from four-star tight end [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag]. Mitchell was considered a five-star prospect and the No. 1 tight end in the 2025 class before reclassifying to 2024.

Mitchell is someone who could compete for a lot of playing time right away. This position is losing the only player that had any real production in [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag]. It’ll be hard for a true freshman to come in and play right away but he’s a guy that may just be too talented to keep off of the field.

More from the [autotag]2024 Early Signing Period[/autotag]

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2023 Position Review: Sooners Tight Ends finish with disappointing season

The tight end position was an overall disappointing group but how did they grade out after offseason expectations?

As we continue to look at each position group, we move to the tight end position.

We knew going into the season the tight end position was thin.[autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] returned to Norman, but outside of Stogner, there wasn’t much experience.

In 2022, the tight end position was so valuable to the offense and a huge part of its success. There was a thought that Stogner could have a career year like [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] did.

It just never materialized as the group as a whole became almost unplayable at times. But they did have some guys who showed some flashes here and there.

There’s just no doubt the tight end room needs a complete makeover in 2024.

Oklahoma Sooners interested in transfer tight end Jalin Conyers per report

The Oklahoma Sooners are set to host Arizona State transfer tight end Jalin Conyers per report.

As the 2023 season comes to a close, the Oklahoma Sooners have a big need at the tight end position. Starting tight end Austin Stogner is out of legibility and Jason Llewellyn entered the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag].

Yes, the Sooners are likely to sign elite four-star tight end Davon Mitchell, but Oklahoma could use a veteran option out of the transfer portal to join Mitchell and 2022 signee Kaden Helms.

According to a report from Arizona State Sun Devils beat writer Anthony Totri, the Sooners have scheduled a visit with a familiar face, Jalin Conyers.

Conyers was a signee of the Sooners in the 2020 recruiting class, but transferred to Arizona State after his redshirt freshman season. With the Sun Devils, Conyers caught 74 passes for 846 yards and six touchdowns. In 2023, he was second in receptions and yards for an Arizona State passing game that struggled to throw the ball all season long.

Sun Devils quarterbacks completed just 55% of their passes and averaged just 210 passing yards per game. They ranked 127th in the nation passing touchdowns per game and 88th in passing yards per game.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, was ninth in the nation in passing touchdowns per game and sixth in passing yards.

With a need at tight end, the Sooners could add a dynamic weapon to the passing game in their former four-star talent.

According to the report from Troti, the Sooners will have to win a recruiting battle with Georgia, Texas Tech, and Utah.

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