

Sharpe finished his college career with 192 receptions for 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns. As a senior, Sharpe caught 61 passes for 1,312 yards and 18 touchdowns, including three games with more than 200 yards. He led the Tigers' football team to their best records in the program's history: 7–3 in 1988 and 8–1 in 1989. He was also selected as a Kodak Division II All-American in 1989.

Sharpe was a three-time All- Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection from 1987 to 1989 and the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987. In track, he competed in jumping and throwing events.

I didn't graduate magna cum laude, I graduated 'Thank you, Lawdy!'" At Savannah State, he played football and basketball, and also competed in track and field. He once joked, "We were so poor, a robber once broke into our house and we ended up robbing the robber." He commented, "I was a terrible student. Sharpe, the younger brother of former NFL star wide receiver Sterling Sharpe, grew up in Glennville, Georgia, where he was an all-state player in three sports at Glennville High School.
