Oklahoma tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley certainly isn't shooting big while trying to replenish his position group, but that doesn't mean he's missing.
Will Huggins transferred to the Sooners from Division-II Pittsburg State with one year of eligibility left. Huggins was the second tight end OU has nabbed from the transfer portal during this cycle after Carson Kent from Kennesaw State.
Finley had to add some talent at tight end with leading receiver Bauer Sharp transferring to LSU and Jake Roberts exhausting his eligibility.
Huggins' addition got some eye rolls from Sooner Nation coming from the Division-II level, but he spent only one season there after four years with Kansas. Granted, he did little to nothing as a Jayhawk.
In four seasons and 11 games at Kansas, Huggins caught just one pass, and it happened to be a 20-yard TD catch against the Sooners in 2020. It was the Jayhawks' only TD in a 62-9 blowout.
Rewind to the 2020 season⏪
— Collin Kennedy (@CKennedy247) December 28, 2024
Here’s newest #Sooners tight end transfer Will Huggins scoring a touchdown against Oklahoma to end the game against Kansas
📝: https://t.co/swdSdObFkr pic.twitter.com/UcWmJeN1tb
Most of Huggins' production as a college football player came once he got to Pitt State. He had 22 receptions, 395 receiving yards and a TD in 11 games this season. His best outing was against Central Missouri, where he caught three passes for 84 yards.
I will be entering the transfer portal on December 9th, as a grad transfer with 1 year of eligibility.
— Will Huggins (@willhuggins34) December 2, 2024
6’7 250 | Tight End
1st team all-MIAA
22 receptions, 395 yards, 18 Yards per catch
Film below pic.twitter.com/7HoQ2LXpU9
Huggins was impressive enough this season, though, to garner a lot of attention from FBS programs once he was in the transfer portal.
In fact, OU was the second FBS team he signed with just during this month. Huggins initially pledged to Washington State, and the Cougars even announced his signing on social media. But shortly after Wazzu coach Jake Dickert left for Wake Forest, Huggins posted that he was back in the transfer portal, eventually following John Mateer to Norman.
Attention was mostly drawn to Huggins because of his size at 6-foot-7 and 254 pounds. He certainly doesn't have getaway speed, even at the Division-II level, but he's big enough to block and is a massive target to look for in short-yardage situations.
Huggins most likely won't go down as a steal for Finley next year, but he does have the ability to hold his own in the SEC despite coming from the Division-II level.