Oklahoma Sooners offense could have found their solution at highly-scrutinized position from unexpected playmaker

After a rather underwhelming transfer portal haul to address the tight end room, fans have only grown more discontent over the state of the room.

However, Brent Venables and co. don't seem overly concerned and are overall happy with the room, thanks to the players they have. One of those players the staff is particularly high on is redshirt-junior Kaden Helms, who, by all accounts, has taken a strong hold of the TE1 job.

Is Kaden Helms TE1 for the Sooners?

Many, including me, were skeptical of the initial reports from Venables and others that Helms was ready to take that leap as a player. He had missed so much time with injury that optimism about his future felt slim.

However, Helms has remained healthy throughout the offseason, and his talent is beginning to shine through. He's opened up as the starting tight end in fall camp, and by all indications, he might not let that go anytime soon.

Safety Robert Spears-Jennings spoke about Helms and how excited he was to see him return to play for the Sooners.

"The knee surgeries got him. But, like, nobody really understands how good Kaden is, and he came as a freshman, he was, like, tough. So just seeing him get back to his freshman year self, like, moving how he was freshman year, he’s gonna be a nasty tight end. And he got, he got swole, like, big so, like, so he could block you too, and once he grabbed you, it’s over with. So just seeing him run routes like a receiver and can block like a lineman, I love to see it."

A former four-star tight end in the class of 2022, Helms was the 16th-ranked tight end recruit out of high school. Described as a tall, toolsy athlete, Helms was viewed in the same vein as former talented Sooners like Mark Andrews and Grant Calcaterra. However, a slew of injuries have limited him over the years.

If he continues to stay healthy and stack promising days with the first-team unit, the ceiling feels high for Helms and what the Oklahoma offense can do.