John Mateer raves about new Oklahoma assistant Jason Witten
By David Wasson
Published:
It’s not every day that a two-time NFL All-Pro who is widely regarded as one of the best to ever play his position ends up on your coaching staff. But when you’re Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, you certainly try to soak up every morsel of knowledge as possible.
Mateer spoke Wednesday during Day 3 of SEC Media Days in Tampa about new Sooners tight end coach Jason Witten, who starred at Tennessee from 2000-03 before embarking on a 17-season NFL career that also earned him 11 Pro Bowl nods and a Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
“Coach Jason Witten just lives and breathes this game,” Mateer mused with On3’s JD PicKell. “We all love ball, we really do. But sometimes you just have to kick it. There’s no kicking it with him and coach (Brent) Venables. … I love being around it. There is so much wisdom, to where it is an obsession. He is amazing, truly awesome.”
Witten joined the Sooners staff this season after a five-year stint as head coach of Liberty Christian School – a college prep school outside Dallas that he led to two state championships. Witten was hired as the tight ends coach at Oklahoma in January, joining former Cowboys teammate DeMarco Murray, who has served as the Sooners’ running backs coach since 2020.
Witten recorded 1,228 receptions for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns with the Cowboys and Raiders from 2003-2020.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
