Brent Venables releases statement on hiring Jason Witten as Oklahoma TE coach
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Jason Witten is officially Oklahoma‘s new tight ends coach. The program made the announcement on Thursday with comments from Witten and Sooners head coach Brent Venables.
“When you talk about Jason Witten you start with the impeccable human being he is, Venables said. “That’s as a competitor, a leader, a coach, a dad, a husband. He’s one of those rare people who represents incredibly high character, integrity and excellence. He’s a tremendous communicator blessed with unbelievable interpersonal skills. That’s who he was as a leader in the locker room as a player, and you can see the impact and influence he had as a head coach at the high school level at Liberty Christian. He’s really special in that regard.
“Some of the other things that resonate with me are his humility and the type of teammate I know he’s going to be, both on our staff and with our players. He’ll be a sponge when it comes to learning what we do and how we do it. He brings so much to the table in terms of coaching, mentoring and leading, and he’s had opportunities to coach in the NFL. But we’re aligned in that our hearts are with the 18- to 23-year-olds who need you now more than ever. He’s always been about that. Through casual conversation and getting to know him over the years, that’s something that really jumped out to me and stuck with me.
“Jason has been a giant in the game of football for a long time with what he’s accomplished and represented on the field. He’s one of the best to ever do it. I’m excited about the positive impact he’ll have on our football program and all of our players.”
Witten has been around the game all of his adult life. He played for the Tennessee Volunteers for 3 seasons, earning first-team All-SEC recognition in 2002.
After his time on Rocky Top, Witten had a decorated NFL career as a tight end with the Dallas Cowboys until 2019 and then the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. Witten was selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times and named first-team All-Pro in 2007 and ’10. He also won Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2012, one of the league’s most prestigious honors.
After his playing career, Witten became the head coach of Liberty Christian in Texas. OU will be his first college coaching position.
“I love football and I love teaching the game, and Oklahoma is as prestigious a college football program as there is in the country,” Witten said in a program release. “So I’m thankful to Coach Venables for the opportunity to work together. It’s been clear to me from the outset that he’s one of the best leaders of men in football. And he has the pieces in place to compete for championships, so I’m excited to work under him and Coach (Ben) Arbuckle and with the rest of the staff. It’s a tremendous opportunity and I’m proud to be a Sooner.
“I know what the expectations and standards of Oklahoma Football are and I’m excited to lean into and embrace those. But along the way, it’s also a great privilege to positively impact young men – to help them become the best players they can be and the best men they can be. That’s one of the things I respect the most about Coach Venables – that those things aren’t mutually exclusive. You can take on the responsibility to lead men but also be highly competitive in your craft. I try to uphold those standards on and off the field.
“I’m excited to get in that tight ends room and work with OU’s great staff and players.”
Officially official
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) January 15, 2026
Jason Witten named OU Tight Ends Coach
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Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
