OU is expected to hire former Dallas Cowboys star and future NFL Hall of Famer Jason Witten as its next tight ends coach, sources have confirmed to SoonerScoop. Football Scoop’s Zach Barnett reported the news first on Thursday.
The Sooners fired tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley on Jan. 1 and began its search immediately. Witten’s name was one of the first mentioned to SoonerScoop, but many believed Alabama’s Bryan Ellis was the leading candidate. Sources have now informed SoonerScoop that Witten was the guy all along. He called coach Brent Venables on Wednesday night to officially accept the job.
Witten has no college football coaching experience, but does have connections to OU. He has a close relationship with Oklahoma general manager Jim Nagy and running backs coach DeMarco Murray, who played with Witten in Dallas. He has spent the last five years as the head coach of Liberty Christian High School in the DFW area. Witten’s son, Cooper Witten, is one of the highest-ranked recruits in the 2027 class at linebacker. The Sooners have been recruiting him for the last several years.
This will be a fascinating hire for the state of Oklahoma. It’s currently rebuilding its tight end room, having already added two transfers and two true freshmen. Witten is sure to have his hands full at OU.
But who better to fix the room than one of the greatest tight ends in the sport’s history?