Oklahoma to hire former NFL star Jason Witten as new tight ends coach

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The Oklahoma Sooners have reportedly made a hire at their vacant tight ends coach position. According to a report from On3 SoonerScoop.com’s George Stoia III, OU is expected to hire former NFL star Jason Witten as the program’s new tight ends coach.

Witten has been the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Texas since 2021, after a long and wildly successful career as a tight end in the NFL. After starring at Tennessee in the early-2000s, Witten was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys, where he was again a star for 17 years in the NFL.

Witten played for the Cowboys from 2003 to 2017, and again in 2019. He also played for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. He made 11 Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro, and the 2012 Walter Payton Man of the Year. Witten is widely mentioned among the greatest tight ends of all time, and he ranks second in all-time career receptions and receiving yards by an NFL tight end, trailing only Tony Gonzalez.

Over the last five years at Liberty Christian in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, Witten has guided two state championship teams with the Warriors. Now, he’ll coach at the collegiate level for the first time ever, as the Soonersreportedly got their preferred candidate for their only current vacant coaching staff opening.

Witten replaces Joe Jon Finley, who was fired on January 1st. Finely had been OU’s tight ends coach since 2021, and he was even the co-offensive coordinator for the Sooners in 2024. Though not initially the play-caller, Finley 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 the tight ends, but after another somewhat disappointing year at the position, Finley was let go. He had played tight end for the Sooners in the mid-2000s, but his units as the position coach had underwhelmed for the past three seasons.

Witten will be walking into a rebuild in the tight end room at Oklahoma. Seniors Jaren Kanak (the starter in 2025) and Will Huggins are out of eligibility, while Kaden Helms and Carson Kent have entered the transfer portal. Oklahoma returns Kade McIntyre, John Locke Jr., and Trynae Washington, and they signed Ryder Mix and Tyler Ruxer in the 2026 recruiting class.

However, the main contributors at tight end in 2026 for the Sooners may already be on their way, via the transfer portal. Oklahoma is bringing in Hayden Hansen from Florida and Rocky Beers from Colorado State to try and right the ship at tight end, and OU may not be done at that spot either.

Now, with Witten in the fold, Sooner Nation hopes for an increase in effectiveness from OU’s tight end, as the program looks to return to the College Football Playoff in 2026.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma will hire former pro-bowler Jason Witten to coach tight ends

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