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With the No. 16 Oregon State football team (2-0, 0-0 P12) set to host San Diego State (2-1, 0-0 MW) at Reser Stadium on Saturday afternoon, BeaversEdge dives into the squad in this in-depth notebook...
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Riley Sharp Says Moving To TE Was "Definetly Worth It"
One of the more intriguing position changes this offseason was outside linebacker Riley Sharp moving over to offense and tight end for his final campaign in 2023.
"It's been a lot of fun," Sharp said. "It's been incredible to be a part of something like this, so yeah, it's definitely been worth it."
The 6-foot-6, 248-pounder has been connected to the Oregon State program for some time, as he committed back in November of 2015 before taking a two-year mission.
Sharp's first season in Corvallis was also head coach Jonathan Smith's first, as he played in four games and took a redshirt season in 2018.
He then began his ascension up the depth chart at OLB and became a mainstay at the position over the next four years. He's played in 45 career games and has never missed a game, playing in every contest in '19, '20, '21, & '22.
However, this last offseason, when Sharp was determining whether or not he wanted to return to Corvallis for his sixth season, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to do whatever could help the team the most, while also giving him a newfound experience.
"I felt like making the switch was all about becoming whatever role I needed for the program. It allowed me to get a new experience and opportunity here, but mostly it was sitting down with my family and coaches and finding out how to best help the team with one year left."
How did the switch to tight end happen for Sharp? The groundwork was laid with a conversation with TE coach Brian Wozniak...
"I had joked with Coach Wozniak last season that I could play some tight end and then just seeing the situation with myself and on the team, it felt like a culmination of ideas to make this happen."
It's been an off-season journey for Sharp as learning the nuances of a new position certainly takes time, but he's already making an impact in the receiving game (3 rec, 47 yards, 1 TD) while also contributing to the run game as a blocker.
While Sharp has had to learn the position on the fly, he credits the talent in the TE room, and the arrival of Cal transfer Jermaine Terry as the biggest credits to his success so far...
"Jake Overman has been a huge help and has been very patient... Jack Velling has been really helpful, but Jermaine Terry as well. Coming over from Cal, he had to learn too. But the whole room and Woz has been great."
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