Tag: Davon Mitchell

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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Davon Mitchell one of CBS Sports ‘freshmen to watch’ in Spring Game season

CBS Sports Shehan Jeyarajah includes Davon Mitchell among CBS Sports freshmen to watch during spring game season.

The Oklahoma Sooners have several freshmen who have created a lot of buzz in spring ball. [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Boganowski[/autotag], [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag], and [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag] have turned heads with what they accomplished during winter workouts and on the defensive side of the practice field.

On offense, [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] has impressed. And so has his good friend and fellow freshman, [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag]. Though he may not be working as a starter right now, he’s shown out with his size and ability. With just under two weeks to the Oklahoma Sooners spring game, CBS Sports’ Shehan Jeyarajah pointed to Mitchell as a freshman to watch in spring game season.

The Sooners have several tight ends on the roster, but early returns of Mitchell have been off the charts. Originally a member of the Class of 2025, Mitchell reclassified down a year and has already made an impact. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, he already boasts the requisite frame and strength to play in the SEC. While snaps may not come early, Mitchell is the future of the position at OU. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

Mitchell has created a lot of buzz in spring camp with his ready-for-college size and his ability in the passing game. At the moment, it sounds like he’s working in a rotational role at tight end, but because of his ability, he should see snaps in the passing game during the 2024 season.

The number of snaps is still to be determined. In addition, Bauer Sharp has been impressed with his play style and leadership qualities.

Mitchell has all of the traits to be really good at the collegiate level and his time is certainly coming. Like many of the signees in the 2024 recruiting class, he has the right mindset and demeanor to push for an impactful role as a true freshman. The Sooners spring game will be the first opportunity to see what the future of the position will look like.

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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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Sooners sign same number of the On3 Industry top 20 players in California for 2024 as USC

The Oklahoma Sooners matched the USC Trojans in number of players in On3’s California Industry Player Rankings.

When [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] left Oklahoma for USC, one of the hot topics of discussion was Riley’s ability to recruit the state of California.

California, along with Texas and Florida, has long been considered the recruiting hotbed for college football. USC being the biggest brand in the state and Riley’s propensity for offense created an assumption that he was going to put the state on lockdown.

Well, in the 2024 recruiting cycle, that was far from the case.

The Trojans only signed one player in On3’s top 10 from 2024. The same number that Brent Venables and the Sooners signed the state of California. In fact, Oklahoma’s signee, OL [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag], ranked higher in On3’s California industry player rankings than USC’s top 10 signee, WR Xavier Jordan.

Meanwhile, Alabama and Oregon had multiple top-10 signees from the state.

In California’s top 20, Oregon had seven signees. USC had two. The Oklahoma Sooners also had two of the top 20 players in the Golden State. After reclassifying to the 2024 recruiting class, [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] dropped in the rankings and finished at No. 14. Had he kept his 2025 ranking, he might have finished in the top 10 in the state.

In the 2024 Oklahoma state industry rankings at On3, Oklahoma signed six players in the top 20. For comparison in the state, Tulsa signed three players in the top 20 in Oklahoma and Oklahoma State signed two. The Sooners are dominating the state of Oklahoma and are also pulling recruits from the big three recruiting hot beds.

Lincoln Riley’s a good coach, but letting Oregon and Dan Lanning come in and dominate the state will make it difficult for the Trojans to have long-term success, especially as they head into the Big Ten. And with Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Oklahoma also invading California recruiting, it’s not going to get any easier for Riley and his staff on the recruiting trail.

More: How each recruiting site ranked Oklahoma’s 2024 signees

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Where each of the Oklahoma Sooners signees finished in final 2024 recruiting rankings

A look at where each Oklahoma Sooners 2024 signee finished in the final rankings for the 2024 recruiting cycle.

The 2024 recruiting class finished in the top 10 for the Oklahoma Sooners. It was an important class, as it marked the first group of players that would play their entire career in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Given the need to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines to be able to contend in the SEC, additional importance was placed on landing a strong offensive and defensive line class. And [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff did just that.

But that’s not where the impressive returns stopped. Oklahoma also came through with the top running back in the cycle and a blue-chip set of wide receivers. It was an impressive cycle for [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag].

[autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] was considered the top tight end in the 2025 recruiting cycle before reclassifying to 2024, giving Joe Jon Finley a bonafide star to work with.

At defensive back, Jay Valai and Brandon Hall continued to pull in impressive talents, landing four-star prospects [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag], [autotag]Jeremiah Newcombe[/autotag], [autotag]Mykel Patterson-McDonald[/autotag], [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag], and [autotag]Devon Jordan[/autotag].

At quarterback, the Sooners landed highly productive passers from two big football states in [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] from Texas and [autotag]Brendan Zurbrugg[/autotag] from Ohio. Two years ago, the depth at the position was questionable. Now [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] has an impressive group of passers to lead his offense into the future.

Looking back at the trenches. The Sooners landed two legit studs in [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] for the interior and three blue-chip prospects to work along the edge in [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag], and [autotag]Wyatt Gilmore[/autotag].

It was a necessity heading into the SEC, where the offensive line play and physicality in the trenches go to another level. And as much as we love the defensive line recruiting, the offensive line recruiting could end up being just as impactful.

Sure, aside from [autotag]Eugene Brooks[/autotag], Bill Bedenbaugh’s group didn’t receive a ton of recognition in recruiting circles. But it’s an athletically impressive group with a strong work ethic and a lot of upside.

So as we turn the page on Oklahoma’s 2024 recruiting class, let’s take a look at how each player finished in the final player rankings from ESPN, Rivals, 247Sports, and On3.

At the end, you can see which recruiting service liked each of Oklahoma’s signees the most.

5 positions where the Oklahoma Sooners are better than they were a year ago

Every year there is roster turnover, but where are the Sooners better? Here are five positions Oklahoma’s better than they were a year ago.

Every offseason teams around college football have to deal with a significant amount of turnover to their roster. That’s been the case for the Sooners each season of the Brent Venables era.

No position group was hit harder than the offensive line. They lost the five guys that were starters for the majority of the season. Though they’ve been able to retool the lineup with transfer portal additions, it will be months before we know if those additions will work out.

Elsewhere, however, the Sooners look to be in really good shape, especially when you compare it to how several positions looked this time last year.

Here are five position groups that look better compared to where they were a year ago.

Oklahoma Sooners add tight end via the transfer portal

Oklahoma Sooners pick up some tight end help via the transfer portal.

Heading into the offseason, there were two spots the Oklahoma Sooners needed to add talent through the transfer portal on the offensive side of the ball: the offensive line and tight end.

Oklahoma’s added three players along the offensive line and also got some help at tight end with the addition of [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag]. Well, now they have more help at the position heading into 2024. Former UNT and Baylor tight end Jake Roberts committed to the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday night.

Out of Norman, Roberts was a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class who committed to Sooners offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag] while Littrell was the Head Coach at UNT.

Roberts spent three seasons at North Texas before transferring to Baylor for 2023. In 12 games for the Bears last season, Roberts had 23 receptions for 231 yards and a touchdown. In his final season with the Mean Green in 2022, he recorded 28 receptions for 394 yards and a touchdown and had one carry for 10 yards.

Though his numbers might not jump off the page, he was fourth in receiving yards at Baylor last season. He was one of the better blocking tight ends in college football in 2023. Among the 274 tight ends with at least 117 blocking snaps, Roberts was 17th in pass-blocking and 46th in run-blocking, according to Pro Football Focus.

Roberts provides important experience to a tight end room that was young or hadn’t played much at the FBS level. Roberts will have a shot to start or at least be a significant role player in the Sooners offense. His experience and familiarity with Seth Littrell provide the tight end room some leadership for guys like [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag], [autotag]Kade McIntyre[/autotag], and [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag] in 2024.

The other interesting wrinkle in the addition of Jake Roberts, is the recruitment of his younger brother [autotag]Nate Roberts[/autotag]. Nate is a highly sought after four-star tight end in the 2025 recruiting class who was initially committed to Notre Dame. He’s since backed off that pledge and holds offers from a number of Power Five schools, including Oklahoma. The Sooners are hoping to make him their tight end in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

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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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Oklahoma Sooners add transfer tight end Bauer Sharp

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up another transfer portal addition in tight end Bauer Sharp.

The Oklahoma Sooners added some experience to a young tight end room, earning a commitment from [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] tight end, Bauer Sharp.

Sharp, who played the last two seasons for Southeastern Louisiana. In 11 games in 2023, Sharp had 28 receptions on 38 targets for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran the ball 25 times for 133 yards and five touchdowns.

According to Pro Football Focus, 32 of his 38 targets were under 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.

His size and athleticism make him a unique fit for the Sooners, someone who can line up in a traditional tight end alignment but also in the backfield as a fullback. For Southeast Louisiana, Sharp was used as a wildcat quarterback at times and showed an adept ability to make plays with his legs.

As a receiver, Sharp averaged 7.5 yards after the catch per reception.

The Sooners needed some experience in the tight end room with Austin Stogner out of eligibility. They’re expected to receive a national letter of intent from [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag], one of the best tight ends in the 2024 recruiting class. They also have [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag], a four-star prospect out of the 2022 signing class who has struggled to stay healthy, and [autotag]Kade McIntyre[/autotag], an athletic 2023 signee who saw limited playing time this season.

Bringing in a tight end with a couple of years of experience and someone that the coaching staff is high on makes sense for a young tight end room. Sharp gives the Sooners a veteran option at the position.

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