The Oklahoma Sooners have reportedly hired the vacant tight ends coaching position. OU is expected to hire former NFL star Jason Witten as the program’s new tight ends coach, according to a report from George Stoia III of On3 SoonerScoop.com.
Witten has been the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Texas since 2021 after a long and successful career as a tight end in the NFL. Witten was a standout at Tennessee in the early 2000s before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys and becoming a star again in the NFL for 17 years.
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Witten played for the Cowboys from 2003 to 2017 and again in 2019. He also played for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times, was a four-time All-Pro, and was the 2012 Walter Payton Player of the Year. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, Witten ranks second among NFL tight ends in career catches and receiving yards, behind only Tony Gonzalez.
Over the past five years, Witten has coached the Warriors, two state championship teams, at Liberty Christian University in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area. Now, he’ll be coaching at the college level for the first time ever, and the Sooners have reportedly found their favorite candidate for the only currently open coaching staff vacancy.
Witten replaces Joe Jon Finley, who was fired Jan. 1. Finely has been OU’s tight ends coach since 2021, and he’s even the Sooners’ co-offensive coordinator in 2024. Although Finley was not initially a play-caller, he took over those duties for the final six games of the season after Seth Littrell was fired. In 2025, Finley was only responsible for coaching tight ends, but after another disappointing year at the position, Finley was fired. He played tight end for the Sooners in the mid-2000s, but his team as position coach has mediocre over the past three seasons.
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Witten will be rebuilding in Oklahoma’s tight end room. Seniors Jalen Canuck (a 2025 starter) and Will Huggins are ineligible, while Kaden Helms and Carson Kent have entered the transfer portal. Oklahoma State returns Kade McIntyre, John Locke Jr. and Telena Washington and signed Ryder Meeks and Taylor Luxer in the 2026 recruiting class.
However, a major contributor at tight end for the Sooners in 2026 may already be on his way through the transfer portal. Oklahoma is bringing in Hayden Hansen from Florida and Rocky Beers from Colorado to try to right the ship at tight end, a position where Oklahoma also may not be able to get the job done.
Now, with the addition of Witten, Sooner Nation is hoping for an increase in productivity from OU’s tight ends as the program looks to return to the College Football Playoff in 2026.
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This article originally appeared in Sooners Wire: Oklahoma State to hire former Pro Bowler Jason Witten as tight ends coach
