OU Commit Kaden Helms Ranked No. 7 on the SI All-American TE Watch List
Joe Jon Finley wasted little time hitting the ground running as Oklahoma’s tight end/H-backs coach, and his efforts are being recognized.
With two tight ends already committed, Bellevue, NE, product Kaden Helms is being recognized as one of the country’s top tight ends.
Helms was just ranked the No. 7 tight end in the nation by Sports Illustrated All-American.
“If you want to play tight end in the Oklahoma offense you need to be a legit pass game weapon, and ideally you need to be able to attack down the field. That makes Helms a great fit for the Sooners, and his willingness/ability to block only adds to his all-around game,” SIAA recruiting director John Garcia Jr. and recruiting analyst Bryan Driskell said. “Helms is a tall and athletic pass catcher that explodes off the ball and gets over the top of the defense in a hurry. He’s quick out of cuts and he can do damage from the slot or out wide, where his speed and ability to win one-on-one battles makes him a significant matchup problem.
“Helms will need to fill out his 220-pound frame, but in the Oklahoma offense he won’t need to add as much weight as he would in an offense that would ask him to play attached more frequently.”
Last year in seven games for Bellevue West High School, Helms hauled in 25 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns in his junior season.
Helms’ breakaway speed allowed him to run away from opposing defenses last year, a trait which will serve him well as he racks up yardage over the middle in Lincoln Riley’s offense.
Finley’s other tight end commit, Aledo, TX, standout Jason Llewellyn, was not named to the SIAA Watch List, but Llewellyn did earn his fourth star from Rivals over the summer.
Llewellyn is an incredibly versatile prospect who is both violent at the point of attack as blocker, and sure handed in the passing game.
Though this is his first season at Oklahoma, Finley has a great track record of bringing along talent that he didn’t recruit at other stops in his coaching career. Now he’ll have a chance to guide prospects of his own from start to finish in Norman for the Sooners.
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