Jason Witten gives assertive statement on why he wanted to coach at Oklahoma

It's starting to seem like Jason Witten, despite playing his college football career at Tennessee, always wanted to be a Sooner someday.

Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables during the offseason hired Witten, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, to replace the fired Joe Jon Finley as the Sooners' new tight ends coach in what seemed like a scenario that was too good to be true for OU fans at the time, and Witten might have felt the same way.

Jason Witten explains why he accepted coaching job with Sooners

Witten on Monday, ahead of the Sooners starting spring practices in two weeks, was available to media for the first time since joining OU's staff and explained why he jumped at the opportunity while also giving a lot of praise to Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

"Simply put, it's the Oklahoma Sooners," Witten said. "There's not another program with more tradition and success over the years, and some great programs in this league. ...

"I've always admired and respected this program. The course of my pro football career, the number of teammates coming from Oklahoma, all of them were the right type of teammate, the right type of people and phenomenal football players that loved the game. That's what I wanted to be a part of. I wanted to go coach ball, pour into them, all the things I just said. What a great opportunity and platform for me to be able to do it here."

The feeling between the Sooners and Witten is obviously mutual.

Witten played 17 NFL seasons as a tight end for 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.

After retirement, Witten became the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas, where he won two state championships while coaching his own sons, including OU five-star linebacker commit Cooper Witten.

There was hesitation about the hire at first by some because of Witten's lack of coaching experience. However, even before his position group has stepped on the field, Witten has already earned more respect from OU fans after some big wins on the recruiting trail, including Seneca Driver, who committed to OU on Saturday as the No. 1 tight end in the 2027 class, according to Rivals.

The Sooners and Witten were two big-time names joining forces, and it's already evident it wasn't just a splash hire, but a dream fit for both sides.