Brent Venables makes dreams come true now.
After Joe Jon Finley was fired as OU's tight ends coach, Sooner Nation immediately had a favorite replacement in future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Witten, and on Thursday, FootballScoop broke the news that OU is expected to hire Witten as its next tight ends coach.
Oklahoma hires former NFL great Jason Witten as tight ends coach
Witten played 17 seasons as a tight end in the NFL between the Dallas Cowboys and one final return season with the Las Vegas Raiders after a brief retirement. He was an 11-time Pro Bowler, named First-Team All-Pro twice and was Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2012. Today, college football has The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, which is presented annually to the FBS player who has demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field, according to the award's website.
The list of accolades proves Witten not only has the football experience and knowledge for such a position, but also the character and leadership ability. A prior connection with former Cowboys teammate DeMarco Murray, who is OU's runnings back coach and a great friend of Witten's, also helped draw Witten to Norman.
After retiring from the NFL, Witten in 2021 became the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. He just led the program to back-to-back state championships. He reportedly initially turned down coaching offers from NFL and college teams to coach his sons at the high school level, but with both sons soon headed for college careers of their own, Witten sought interest in an opportunity at a higher level, as well.
Witten's oldest son, C.J., already plays at Rice, but Cooper is a five-star linebacker in the 2027 class who already has an offer on the table from the Sooners. Likely adding Cooper to the roster in 2027 was another monster benefit to hiring Witten.
There will be knock on Witten not having prior college coaching experience before getting a position at a blue blood program like OU, but Witten not only has more valuable playing experience than any other candidate, but will also instantly take the Sooners' recruitment at the position to a new level immediately because of his reputation, which was a major reason why Finley was fired.
Witten will also have the guidance of longtime tight ends coach and offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who is now an offensive analyst for the Sooners.
As far as splash hires with actual production to follow, Venables couldn't have dreamt up a better scenario than Jason Witten in Oklahoma.