The Oklahoma Sooners‘ aggressive pursuit of tight end talent in the transfer portal is already paying dividends. Rocky Beers, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound transfer from Colorado State by way of Florida International and Air Force, introduced himself to the Oklahoma fan base in the best way possible during the season opener.

His 2 catches for 43 yards and a touchdown would have been impressive on their own, but it was the way he scored that had everyone on the sideline losing their minds.

Beers caught a pass in stride from quarterback John Mateer, got moving down the sideline, and hurdled a defender into the end zone. Nobody saw it coming. The play was the highlight of the game, and Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle could not contain himself.

Arbuckle said after the game, “I was going crazy whenever Rocky caught that touchdown because I was excited. The hurdle was cool. I mean, the hurdle was awesome, but I was just sitting there like, holy crap. He ran an awesome route. It was good coverage for the specific call, but he ran an awesome route, made the play, got going down the sideline, and he hurdled a guy for a touchdown.”

You love hearing Arbuckle talk about it that way because it speaks to the culture this team has built. They all love each other, and they know how to celebrate each other’s success. Arbuckle was running up and down the field after the play. He thought it was the most awesome thing in the world. Me too.

Why Oklahoma’s tight end room looks completely different in 2026

Last season, the Sooners really only had one capable tight end in Jaren Kanak. He had a solid year as a receiving threat, but he couldn’t run block at all. Anytime Kanak was on the field, the defense knew it was a pass play. If a run was called, Kanak came off the field. That killed any sort of consistency or ambiguity in the offense and made it painfully easy for opposing defenses to read.

That’s just not what you want out of the tight end position, and Oklahoma addressed it head-on this offseason. The Sooners went out and got guys who can block and catch. Hayden Hansen, the former Florida tight end who stands 6-foot-7, is a strong run blocker who can also be a factor in the pass game. He caught one ball for 15 yards in the opener. Then there’s Beers, the brother of OU women’s basketball player Reagan Beers and a new dad (shout out to him), who proved he can do both at a high level.

This is only the beginning for Oklahoma’s tight ends

For a first-year Oklahoma player making his debut in a season opener, it doesn’t get much better than what Beers did. Mateer played a much more comfortable game, and hitting Beers in stride on that touchdown showed the kind of connection this offense can build. The Sooners finally have two tight ends who can run block and catch the ball well, and that changes the math for opposing defenses entirely.

Arbuckle is going to love having Beers this season. We’re only going to start seeing more from this tight end room as the year goes on.