Bauer Sharp is a tight end and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who finished his collegiate career with the LSU Tigers after previous stops at Southeastern Louisiana and the Oklahoma Sooners. A native of Dothan, Alabama, Sharp enrolled at Southeastern Louisiana as a quarterback recruit but switched to tight end during spring practice after finding himself fifth on the depth chart, essentially beginning his football career at the position as a college sophomore. He developed into a productive contributor at the FCS level, catching 11 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in 2022 before posting 29 receptions for 288 yards and three scores to go along with 133 rushing yards and five touchdowns operating as a wildcat quarterback in 2023. His production earned him a transfer to Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners in both receptions and receiving yards in 2024 with 42 catches for 324 yards while starting all 12 regular season games and helping catch the attention of higher-profile programs. He transferred to LSU for his final season in 2025 and contributed as a starter for the Tigers, earning an invitation to the 2026 Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. His 119 career FBS and FCS receptions for 1,192 yards and nine touchdowns represent a legitimate body of production across four active seasons despite his unconventional introduction to the tight end position.
Standing 6-foot-5 and 246 pounds, Sharp is known for smooth route running and reliable hands developed across an extraordinary journey through three programs and an on-the-fly position conversion, genuine receiving instincts and zone coverage awareness that produce consistent separation at the intermediate level, the functional athleticism and football IQ carried over from his background as a quarterback that gives him an unusually refined understanding of defensive coverage structures, and the blocking effort and physicality that made him a starter at the Power Four level. NFL evaluators project him as a developmental receiving tight end with a uniquely compelling backstory, noting that his learning curve at the position has not yet plateaued and that his upside as a pass catcher may not have been fully realized in the college game. He is a Day 3 candidate with legitimate receiving upside and the competitive character to earn a professional roster spot as a TE2 in a scheme that emphasizes the passing game.
