Bauer Sharp calls Michael Hawkins Jr. a 'good player'

Bauer Sharp’s locker is located right next to Jackson Arnold’s in the Barry Switzer Center.

That allowed the redshirt junior tight end to build a strong relationship with Arnold. So since Arnold was benched after committing three turnovers in the first half of the Sooners’ 25-15 loss to Tennessee, and Michael Hawkins Jr. was announced as the starter against Auburn on Monday, Sharp has been there to give the sophomore advice.

“It’s just a little bump in the road,” Sharp said of his message to Arnold. “He’s built for this. He’s got all the talent in the world. It’s just a little bump in the road, nothing serious at all.”

As for his new starting quarterback, Sharp has been impressed with what he’s seen from Hawkins, who led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives against the Volunteers.

“He’s a good player,” Sharp said. “He was willing to take his chance. It doesn’t matter to us who’s behind the offense, we just have to continue to do our job, block for the guys we have to block for and run for that quarterback.”

Sharp knows the Sooners’ blocking hasn’t been up to par. They gave up three sacks and 11 tackles for loss against the Volunteers, and the lack of space created in the running game meant OU gained just 1.1 yards per carry Saturday.

Sharp, who moved from quarterback to tight end in 2022 with Southeastern Louisiana, noted the improvement he will need to make for OU’s blocking to improve.

“I have to improve my whole game,” he said. “I feel like I can get better every day. I have to keep refining the little details of blocking.”

Oklahoma’s offense is remarkably young, starting with Arnold, a sophomore, and Hawkins, a freshman. The running back who has had the most success is true freshman Taylor Tatum, who has rushed for nearly as many yards (116) as Jovantae Barnes (138) on less than half as many carries (18-39).

With no returning 2023 starters on the offensive line, and with senior receivers Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony injured, true freshmen Zion Kearney, Zion Ragins and Ivan Carreon have had to take on enhanced roles, making Sharp’s rare veteran presence even more valuable to the offense.

As a result, he has taken on a leadership role, which means he must deliver messages to a weakened offense amid its struggles and personnel changes.

“We’ve got to keep piling on,” Sharp said of his message to the Sooners’ offense. “It’s just one game. It’s one loss. We’ve got a lot of games (and) a lot of football ahead of us.”

“…I take full responsibility (as) leader of the offense. We all have to be better. Every single one of us has to do our job. That’s it. We’re so close.”