2736.

That's how many miles away Riley Sharp was from Corvallis when he realized that Oregon State was going to remain his home.

After committing to head coach Gary Andersen and linebackers coach Ilaisa Tuiaki in-person with teammate Doug Taumoelau back in 2016, Sharp departed on a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Knoxville, Tenessee and temporarily put his football life on pause.

However, the football aspect of Sharp's life was dramatically resumed in the wake of the end of the Andersen-era. Everyone he knew and placed his trust in at Oregon State prior to his mission was suddenly gone, and he found himself uncertain about the next stage of his life.

However, life has a funny way of sending you signs and that's exactly what happened to Sharp.

Shortly after he learned about the coaching staff turnover, Sharp was utilizing some of his rare free-time during a stint in Asheville, North Carolina to get a pair of dress shoes. While he only went into the Ross Dress for Less with the intention of getting a new pair of kicks, he instead came out self-assured that he had made the right choice back in 2016.

"We only have one day a week to go shopping, and I had worn out my only pair of dress shoes, so I went to Ross," Sharp said. "So here I was all the way in NC and I find this XXL Oregon State Beavers T-Shirt... I knew right then that it was a sign, so I bought it and was all in."

Despite Sharp being on his mission while Jonathan Smith and his new coaching staff were settling in, they wasted little time making sure that he was going to be a part of their future plans. Smith and defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar were able to connect with Sharp in a unique way as they laid out their vision for the type of student-athlete that he'd become with their tutelage.

"There were some other coaches and schools that tried to reach out to me to see where I was at, but I take commitments very seriously, and I was committed here," Sharp said. "I was able to Facetime with (Smith) and (Tibesar) and I knew that they had their best interest for me as a player, as a person, and as a student. I knew this was the place for me to go."

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While the 21-year-old Sharp (22 in November) didn't project to get to see this much of the field so early in his Oregon State career, injuries to fellow outside 'backers Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Addison Gumbs, and Matthew Tago opened the door for the Salt Lake City native to showcase his superb maturity and football IQ.

"I don't know if it's his age or just who Riley is, but he's a mature young man," Tibesar said. "He's one of those guys that if he makes a mistake, you tell him how to correct it and it doesn't happen again. You love that as a coach."

While things are starting to click for Sharp seven games into his redshirt-freshman season, he points to the importance of his redshirt year in 2018, especially being able to play in four games while getting back in football shape.

"It's been a big adjustment coming off a two-year LDS mission," Sharp said. "You have to adjust back to normal life and then try and play college football which is a whole another experience. I definitely wasn't in shape and it was a bit of a culture shock seeing how big of a step up it was," Sharp said. "I tried my best to get my body back in shape, and playing in the last few games of the season (in 2018) was a dream come true."

While Sharp may bear the tag of redshirt-freshman, he feels wiser and better prepared for the rigors of learning a defense thanks to invaluable lessons learned while serving.

"Physically, I sometimes feel like an old man," Sharp said with a smile. "I think that some of the things that I learned on my mission like studying and trying to get right maybe helped me learn the defense quicker than some other guys. It's really about being placed in the right positions and trusting the coaches."

With Tibesar having a knack for developing stud outside linebackers in his career, there's no reason to think Sharp isn't on track to be the next-in-line as he delivered an impressive performance against Cal, tallying three sacks and three tackles for loss.

"He's done an awesome job," Tibesar said. "He's a unique story joining our program off a mission trip and was able to redshirt last year. He's very smart and intelligent, learning both of our outside linebacker positions. We knew early on that he was going to be pressed into duty and he's done a great job mastering the playbook and being effective out there. It was awesome to see him back the type of impact he did against Cal."

Smith added that because of how quickly Sharp has been able to acclimate and pick up the defense, he'll see the field a lot more moving forward.

"He's mature, he works hard, and he's extremely detailed in his approach in terms of preparing and studying," Smith said. "He's earned the right to play because those practice habits have translated to productive play on the field."

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