Here's How Oklahoma is Working Through Major Depth Issues at Tight End

Walk-ons, transfers, defensive linemen and even a basketball player are populating Joe Jon Finley's tight end room as the Sooners manage injuries and the workload.

NORMAN — Joe Jon Finley coaches tight ends at Oklahoma — when he can, that is.

Right now, it’s tough.

“Well, it's a challenge,” Finley said Monday night, “because you got to take care of the guys that are healthy. And so just trying to do a great job of getting those guys reps when they can.”

Finley has a walk-on, a defensive lineman, a basketball player and two transfers in his station.

At least one of the transfers is Austin Stogner, who certainly knows what he’s doing. Stogner has played at OU before, and he’s played for Finley before.

But he’s never worked in Jeff Lebby’s offense.

“Yeah, it’s totally different,” Stogner said. “At South Carolina, we were like huddling, running a pro-style offense. It’s more spread out, and signal-wise, we’re running a lot faster. Got to get used to the tempo. It’s different than what I used to back there. … Coach Finley talks about (tempo) a lot. Just go hard for two weeks and then it’ll get easy. But that two weeks is going to suck. I’m in the middle of the two weeks now.”

Austin Stogner and Joe Jon Finley :: John E. Hoover / AllSooners

Two second-year players, Kaden Helms and Jason Llewellyn, are sitting out this spring with injuries. And without Helms and Llewellyn, his and everyone else’s workload is significant.

That’s just the state of the Sooners’ depth at tight end this spring. Monday was practice No. 4, and Saturday OU staged a scrimmage.

“I don’t feel great about it this spring,” Lebby said last week. “I think that’s pretty obvious without some of these guys practicing. But we’ve gotta create it and the guys that aren’t getting the reps on the field, they gotta get all the mental reps and find ways to get better while not being on the field. If we’ll do that, we’ll be in a good spot this fall.”

The injuries and depth issues have created somewhat of a rationing of reps.

“Whenever we can,” Finley said, “trying to get into some other personnels (position groupings) to try to save their legs a little bit.”

Stogner, for starters, has been a godsend.

“Extremely intelligent,” Finley said. “And he knows football. So it’s easy for a guy like him. It’s now just what we do we call it. He’s run every single play that you can run in football. So now he’s just learning the names, getting the signals and really adjusting to the tempo at which we play because that’s new for him.”

“Coach Lebby’s offense,” Stogner said, “is very different. And it’s good. It’s really good. And it teaches you to learn and understand concepts, understand defenses. So it’s really good. It’s been fun to learn.”

Josh Fanuiel and Joe Jon Finley :: John E. Hoover / AllSooners

On the other end of the spectrum is Josh Fanuiel, a walk-on from Cameron University — where he played basketball for the Division II school. He hasn’t played football since his sophomore year in high school.

“He’s doing good,” Stogner said. “He’s doing real good. … He’s done really well. He’s playing basketball – basketball on grass. That’s what we play. So he’s done well.”

“It's kind of like Antonio Gates,” Finley said of the eight-time Pro Bowl NFL tight end who played college basketball at Kent State but not football. “He's got every tool that you could possibly have. I told him after I watched him in winter workouts, he's got the size and he's got the fight. You get in there and do all those competitions and he's fighting his butt off. And so I told him, ‘You can play in the NFL if you get serious about this and learn the techniques,’ because catching the ball, running routes, he's very, very natural, very smooth, very loose in the hips. And so he's done a great job with that. And so he's just got to continue to get better every single day for 15 practices.”

Hayden Bray is another in Finley’s tight end room. He’s a 280-pound converted defensive tackle who was running corner fade and making over-the-shoulder catches Monday.

Texas A&M transfer Blake Smith fills out Finley’s duty roster.

Bray “loves football,” Finley said. “ … He’s done a great job of picking it up. Asking questions. He asks a million questions every time we’re in the meeting room. And he goes out and applies it. There’s no dumb questions. And so he’s done a great job.

“And then Josh has done a great job. Guy hasn’t played football in (more than) three years. So he stepped out here extremely fast.”

Stogner has taken on the role of teacher with others in the room. And he can handle that — just like he’ll be able to handle Lebby’s offense, Finley said.

Hayden Bray :: John E. Hoover / AllSooners

Lebby showed last year by the workload he put on Brayden Willis how much he relies on good tight end play. Eventually, probably in fall camp, everyone will be healthy again, and Lebby will be able to count on Helms and Llewellyn for more than just lending a hand.

“They go through all the meetings. They do walkthroughs. Everything that they can do,” Finley said. “Trying to get those reps. Getting all the mental reps that they can possibly get. They've done a great job with that. And also they’re like my assistant coaches right now. So they sit back there and coach the young guys.”