Oklahoma’s Jaren Kanak shares powerful wisdom after risky position switch

Jaren Kanak left the Oklahoma Sooners with absolutely no regrets.

Kanak spent his final college football season playing an entirely new position on the other side of the ball after converting from linebacker to tight end ahead of his senior campaign at OU in 2025. Now, as he prepares for the 2026 NFL Draft at a position he has just one season worth of experience playing, Kanak told Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman on The Oklahoma Breakdown podcast that he doesn't regret making the change, while also sharing some outstanding wisdom coming from a 22-year-old.

Jaren Kanak emerges as NFL Draft prospect after move from linebacker to tight end

"I truly believe that everything that I went through was happening for me and not happening to me," Kanak said. "As I was reflecting back on it, there were so many things that I learned throughout that process of being a defensive player that in the end was one of the biggest reasons that I had success as an offensive player."

Kanak spent his first three years with the Sooners as a reserve linebacker who totalled 10 starts between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Only one of those starts came in 2024, and Kanak admitted to Ikard and Lehman tat he put in more time and effort than ever before that season, but he saw no results in getting closer to earning a starting job at linebacker.

However, after just one offseason practicing at tight end, Kanak immediately cracked the starting lineup Week 1 and started all 13 games at tight end in 2025. He earned All-SEC Third-Team honors after catching 44 passes for 533 receiving yards.

Kanak impressed enough in one season as a tight end to emerge as an NFL Draft prospect and earned an invite to last week's NFL Scouting Combine, which likely wouldn't have happened if he never switched positions.

"Doing that and getting no results and not becoming a starter helped me a ton, because then it was so much easier to do it when I actually was the guy out there playing," Kanak said. "It already became habitual. This is just what I do. And I got to a point where I wasn't doing it for the results. I had already done this and gotten no results and just fell in love with the process of doing hard things, preparing like a pro and going through these steep schedules just because I'm falling in love with the process.

"Then i was able to do it on the offensive side of the ball and reap the benefits of it, and it was just awesome. It taught me to be committed to a process and not be outcome- or goal-oriented, but more so just committed to doing all that I can in this moments and taking advantage of these opportunities and whatever results come is whatever results come."

The entire interview is worth a listen.