Oftentimes for former players looking to make their way into coaching, the best place to start is by becoming a positional coach. This offseason, Brent Venables let go of tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley creating a void on the coaching staff for the 2026 season. When Oklahoma needed to find a tight ends coach, nobody could've seen the splash hire Brent Venables had up his sleeve.
Jason Witten is a home run hire for the Oklahoma Sooners
On Thursday, Brent Venables and Oklahoma shocked everyone when they announced that former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten would serve as the Sooners next Tight Ends Coach.
NEWS: Oklahoma is hiring Jason Witten as its next TE coach, @PeteNakos & @SoonerScoop confirm👀https://t.co/od0hbzlF2E pic.twitter.com/D6QI7vxqom
— On3 (@On3sports) January 8, 2026
The news comes a shock as nobody had it on their radar, but it's a massive win for the Oklahoma Sooners. Witten has spent the past several years coaching the Liberty Christian School, winning back to back State Championships in 2023 and 2024.
Jason Witten is most known for his time in the NFL as he's currently a finalist for the Hall of Fame. During his career, Witten was an 11-time Pro Bowler and 2-time First-Team All-Pro finishing with 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns.
The Oklahoma Sooners will be reuniting two former Dallas Cowboys on the staff as former Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray serves as the Sooners' Running Backs coach.
Hiring a player with Jason Witten's background will only help the Sooners on the recruiting trail as he's shown he knows what it takes to make it to the next level and become an all-time great. Most of the recruits and transfers at this time likely grew up watching Witten on the Cowboys which always helps.
Oklahoma may also now have the inside track to Jason's son Cooper Witten who's a 5-star recruit and the top linebacker in the 2027 recruiting class according to Rivals.