Oklahoma OC Jeff Lebby Already Has a Luxury at TE Due to Kaden Helms' 'Huge Upside'

The true freshman enrolled early and is already adding muscle and strength in Jerry Schmidt's offseason program; spring football is where he can make a move.

Jeff Lebby knows how to get to the football to a tight end.

At Ole Miss in 2020, Temple transfer Kenny Yeboah earned All-SEC accolades and became a New York Jet thanks in part to the 27 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns he collected in Lebby’s offense — Yeboah’s best year in college. That included a 181-yard, two-TD game against defending national champion Alabama.

Last year in Oxford, three tight ends combined for 29 catches, 256 yards and two touchdowns.

In his first year coordinating the Oklahoma offense under Brent Venables, Lebby will need to replace two experienced players at the H-back position in Jeremiah Hall (NFL Draft) and Austin Stogner (transfer portal).

But Lebby and new quarterback Dillon Gabriel will have the luxury of athletic ability at the position, both in senior Brayden Willis and true freshman Kaden Helms.

Kaden Helms and Joe Jon Finley
Kaden Helms and Joe Jon Finley / Kaden Helms via Twitter

It’s still early, but count Lebby impressed with what he’s seen from Helms so far.

“Kaden's got this huge upside,” Lebby said. “A lot of excitement about him and where he's gonna end up three, four years from today. His best football is ahead of him.”

The 6-foot-5, 222-pound Helms is a 4-star prospect per 247 Sports and was the 331st-ranked player in the nation last year coming out of Bellevue West High School in Bellvue, NE. According to Rivals, Helms was the No. 16 tight end in the country. SI All-American ranks Helms as the No. 7 tight end in the nation.

In his high school career, Helms caught 96 passes for 1,520 yards and 18 touchdowns. That included a breakout senior season in which he had 51 receptions, 944 yards and 11 TDs.

There was a knock against Lebby that his coaching roots — Art Briles’ Baylor offense — didn’t much feature (or often include) a tight end. But that's not exactly accurate. Lebby is an experienced football coach. He (and Sooner tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley) helped develop stars at the position in the Southeastern Conference. And don’t forget, Lebby first came to OU as a ballyhooed offensive lineman who relished contact.

Kaden Helms
Kaden Helms and Joe Jon Finley / Kaden Helms via Twitter

At OU, Helms will supplement Willis’ versatility with his own wild athletic ability. He’s proficient at using his long frame to high-point the football over defenders, and he’s fast enough to run away from them.

He’s not yet an accomplished blocker at the Division I level — that nod goes to fellow freshman Jason Llewellyn; Helms still need to add muscle, weight and strength to become a more physical player — but it seems that’s a project that’s already underway.

“He came in, Schmitty's already put seven pounds on him,” Lebby said of strength coach Jerry Schmidt’s work with Helms. “He's done a great job. All these mid-year guys. man, they've come in with a great mindset, Kaden as well, obviously. It's been good having him here mid-year.

“He's a great kid.” 


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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.