Jan. 17, 2026, 8:00 p.m. CT

While Dallas Cowboys fans are busy being invested in searching for their next defensive coordinator, many might have missed that one of the team’s former players continue to rise in the coaching ranks. A tight end who played 16 seasons for the Cowboys and built a likely Hall of Fame career, Jason Witten was recently named as the new TE coach at Oklahoma.

The new gig is the second coaching stop for Witten, but his first in the college ranks. The franchises all-time leading receiver led Liberty Christian School to back-to-back high school Texas state championships in 2023 and 2024, beginning his ascension in the coaching world.

Last year, when the Cowboys were looking for a new head coach, Witten’s success at the Texas area high school made him a name that was brought up as a possibility to lead the NFL’s most recognized team. Although it was highly unlikely the Cowboys and Jerry Jones would hire a coach with no real coaching experience at a top level of competition, Witten was mentioned because of Jones’ affinity for his former player.

It would have been a tough sell for Jones to hire Witten, who hadn’t had any real experience beyond high school. The Cowboys simply weren’t hiring someone without college or NFL coaching experience, and Witten was never a realistic candidate.

However, things can change quickly, and Witten’s new coaching job might help him be on the fast track to being the Cowboys’ head man one day. The first step is as a position coach at a high level FBS school, a box he checks with the Sooners. Now, Witten can work his way up quickly and be in line for bigger coaching jobs as time passes.

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With how college and NFL teams are currently operating, it doesn’t take long for former players to find their way into large profile head coaching jobs. Count former Cowboy Deion Sanders and former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson among those who went the college route. Sanders had no experience in college before being named the head coach at Jackson State, where he was for three years before leaving for the head gig at Colorado. Sanders’ moderate success in college led to him speaking with Jones about the Cowboys’ opening last year, although he wasn’t considered a top contender.

Jackson is the current head coach at Delaware State, a gig he got with no prior coaching experience.

The NFL is also littered with former players who became coaches after gaining experience as an assistant. Among the coaches who were former players include Dan Campbell for the Detroit Lions, Aaron Glenn for the New York Jets and Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints.

However, all three, and a host of others, also spent significant time as assistant coaches before getting promoted, and eventually landing head coaching jobs. Campbell was an assistant for 11 years, even having a turn as an interim head coach before get the full-time job with the Lions. Moore coached for seven years, six of them as an offensive coordinator before getting the head coaching title with the Saints.

Witten isn’t there yet, but he could be on the path to eventually being in the same league as his former teammates, and it starts with his job at Oklahoma.

Witten might not be ready to be the Cowboys’ head coach now, but his time could be coming if current top man Brian Schottenheimer doesn’t succeed over the next few years. Schottenheimer has three more years on his deal to prove he’s the right guy for the job; if it doesn’t work out, Witten could be the next man up. At the very least, if Witten is successful and continues to rise in the profession, he might be on the Cowboys’ staff in some capacity as a high ranking coach in the near future.

The path has been laid out and with how fast coaches get promoted these days, don’t be surprised if Witten is roaming the Cowboys’ sideline sooner than anyone thinks.

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