CEDAR CITY, Utah - With two games in the books, Thunderbird wide receiver Mike Sharp is in the midst of his senior campaign at Southern Utah.
Sharp, who has also spent some time at quarterback for the Thunderbirds, has become a staple in the wide receiving core. Last season Sharp led the team with 14 touchdowns, 889 receiving yards and 54 catches. His Second Team All-Big Sky performance culminated in 1,179 all-purpose yards and was a big reason the Thunderbirds were so successful offensively down the home stretch of the 2015 season.
“The end of the season was a turning point for myself,” he said. “I was getting more targets, I was getting more receptions, and I was getting in the endzone. It felt good because I felt like I was helping my teammates, and it was a big turning point.”
The success wasn't a big surprise for most of those in and around the program as Sharp has been a fixture for the Thunderbirds since his freshman season in 2013.
Growing up in St. George, Sharp played for Dixie High School where he was MVP of his Region. Sharp said SUU was his only scholarship offer, and it was the perfect university for him.
“It's nice to be close to home and go visit family or have family come visit here,” he said. “And at the same time, being away from home and being able to focus on school and on football. I love my decision. I couldn't picture myself being anywhere else.”
When asked if there was a player that Sharp really looked up to, he was quick to answer with someone from the other side of the ball.
“Chad Hansen, he played linebacker, and he took me under his wing,” Sharp said. “He was married and him and his wife would always have me over for dinner and kind of adopted me into their family and made sure I was taken care of. I really appreciate Chad and what he did for me my freshman year.”
Sharp said the receiver core this season has formed a really tight bond, and they all lean on each other to get better and push each other every day in practice.
“Our receiver core is pretty tight, we're always talking to each other, so we all kind of go to each other for different things,” he said.
Sharp still has plenty of games to play in a Southern Utah uniform, but when it's all said and done, he wants to be remembered as a winner.
“Honestly, I just want to win,” he said. “Matt Holley was probably one of the most successful football players here at SUU. The times he was here and on the field, we had some of our best seasons. I kind of look up to Matt for that, and that's the approach I want to take. I don't want to have a year like 2014 where we struggle. I want to go out as a winner.”
Moving forward, Sharp said the mentality the team needs to take is pretty straight forward, and that starts with not getting ahead of themselves.
“I think we need to take it one game at a time,” he said. “I don't think we need to overlook the opponent for the week. We need to just do our assignments and do what we're asked to do on each play. Every player needs to take that approach. We don't need to do anything more, and definitely nothing less. Go out, give it our all and do our assignment.”
Sharp and his teammates will be suiting up for SUU's annual Homecoming Game against Portland State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
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