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Transfer Talk: What Oklahoma is Getting in TE Bauer Sharp

Just two seasons removed from playing quarterback, transfer tight end Bauer Sharp has the opportunity to be a big piece of the Sooners' offense in 2024.

Randall Sweet

Transfer Talk: What Oklahoma is Getting in TE Bauer Sharp
Transfer Talk: What Oklahoma is Getting in TE Bauer Sharp /
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After a lackluster season from Oklahoma’s 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 Bauer Sharp.

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.

“It’s his fourth year of college football, he’s strong, fearless, has adapted well and should make an impact at OU,” Southeastern Louisiana radio broadcaster Mark Willoughby told AllSooners. “Tough kid, intense competitor. Raw at the tight end position, but compensates with size, athleticism and physical toughness.”

Despite getting a decent share of the Lions’ offensive load this season, Sharp has only played the tight end position for two years.

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The former Dothan star was recruited to SLU as a quarterback, but switched positions due to a talented crop of passers on campus and a need at tight end.

Willoughby added that Sharp’s physicality and play style also contributed to him making the move.

“Following in Cole (Kelley’s) footsteps dictated the move to tight end to capitalize on Bauer’s raw talent,” Willoughby said. “Size, athleticism and linebacker mentality, plus immediate need at the tight end position made him strong conversion candidate.”

Sharp’s athleticism should be a welcome sight for Sooner fans, especially after the team didn’t have a dynamic option at tight end in 2023.

The fourth-year player’s athletic ability allows him to fill a variety of rolls, which shows in the different ways SLU used Sharp in its offense.

Last season, the standout tight end recorded 136 snaps as a receiver, 132 snaps as a run blocker, 19 snaps as a pass blocker and 25 snaps as a ball carrier out of the backfield.

According to Pro Football Focus, Sharp recorded an 80.7 overall offensive grade in 2023.

Willoughby also lauded Sharp’s athleticism, describing how it allowed the veteran tight end to help the Lions' offense in multiple ways.

“Strongest part of Bauer’s game is his athleticism. Fast enough to beat linebackers and safeties in coverage, can split wide, get deep,” Willoughby said. “Has a nose for the goal line in wildcat, speed to break a big play if he reads blocks correctly — power to run through tackles. Some Taysom Hill qualities. ... Flashes elite receiving skills, hard-nosed runner with the ball in hand — (his) overall game needs refining but (the) upside is huge.”

Alongside Baylor transfer Jake Roberts, incoming freshman Davon Mitchell and returnees Josh Fanuiel and Kade McIntyre, the Sooners should have a much more versatile and competitive tight end room in 2024.

If Seth Littrell and company can utilize Sharp’s skill set, he should be able to add a receiving element at the tight end position that was not present for Dillon Gabriel last season.

With true sophomore Jackson Arnold entering his first season as a full-time starter, having a big, athletic tight end to rely on as a receiver and blocker should be a huge help to the former 5-star recruit.

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Randall Sweet
RANDALL SWEET

Randall is a recruiting analyst and staff writer at AllSooners focusing primarily on OU Football and the recruiting trail. Working as a journalist, Randall has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and high school sports across the state. A 2022 University of Oklahoma graduate, Randall hails from Lubbock, TX. While in college, Sweet wrote for the OU Daily in addition to working with Sooner Sports Pad and OU Nightly. Following his time at OU, Sweet served as the Communications Coordinator at Visit Oklahoma City before leaving to join the team at AllSooners. The West Texas native has bylines in the Norman Transcript and is a Staff Writer for Inside the Thunder. Randall holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. 

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