Sprinkle attended and played college football at Arkansas from 2012–2016 under head coachesJohn L. Smith and Bret Bielema. He redshirted as a true freshman. In the 2013 season, fellow freshman Hunter Henry received most of the targets at the tight end position. Sprinkle recorded four receptions for 68 yards on the season. In the 2014 season, Henry and senior A. J. Derby received most of the production at the position. Sprinkle recorded seven receptions for 84 yards and a receiving touchdown on the season. Sprinkle's role expanded in the 2015 season. Although Henry recorded a majority of the production, Sprinkle had 27 receptions for 389 yards and six touchdowns. With the loss of Henry to the 2016 NFL Draft, Sprinkle took over the production at the position in the 2016 season. He shared time with newcomers Austin Cantrell, C. J. O'Grady, and Grayson Gunter. He recorded 33 receptions for 380 yards and four touchdowns.
Collegiate statistics
Professional career
On November 28, 2016, it was announced that Sprinkle had accepted his invitation to play in the 2017 Senior Bowl, along with Arkansas' punter Toby Baker. On January 28, 2017, Sprinkle played in the Senior Bowl and caught one 18-yard pass from Pitts'sNathan Peterman. He was a part of Chicago Bears' head coach John Fox's North team, who lost 16-15 to the South. Sprinkle was one of 19 tight ends who received an invitation to participate at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Sprinkle performed the majority of drills and had a mediocre performance, finishing 14th among tight ends in the vertical jump and 10th in the 40-yard dash and broad jump. On March 15, 2017, Sprinkle opted to participate at Arkansas' pro day, along with Cody Hollister, Dan Skipper, Jeremiah Ledbetter, and 13 other prospects. Sprinkle chose to perform all.of his combine drills after his showing at the combine was lackluster. He successfully had better times and measures in all of them. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Sprinkle was projected to be a fourth or fifth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the fifth best tight end in the draft by NFL analyst Gil Brandt, the eighth best tight end by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, and the 11th best tight end prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
The Washington Redskins selected Sprinkle in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He was the 12th tight end selected that year. On May 11, 2017, the Washington Redskins signed Sprinkle to a four-year, $2.67 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $276,503. Throughout training camp, Sprinkle competed for a roster spot with Niles Paul and Derek Carrier. Head coach Jay Gruden named him the fourth tight end on the depth chart to start the regular season, behind veterans Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, and Niles Paul. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start during a Week 3 matchup against the Oakland Raiders after being inactive for the first two games. Sprinkle earned the start after Jordan Reed suffered a hamstring injury and was unable to play. Although he was held without a catch, the Redskins went on to win 27-10. Sprinkle was a healthy scratch from Weeks 6-8 after Reed returned from injury. He was activated by the Redskins in Week 9 after Reed aggravated his hamstring injury. On November 19, 2017, Sprinkle caught his first career reception on a seven-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kirk Cousins during Washington's 34-31 loss at the New Orleans Saints. Overall, he played in 11 games in his rookie season and recorded two receptions for 13 yards and a touchdown.
