Oklahoma fans finally get coaching change they've been wanting

Oklahoma fans have been screaming for a certain change on the Sooners' coaching staff, and head coach Brent Venables finally obliged.

SoonerScoop's George Stoia reported on Thursday that OU is expected to fire tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley after several disappointing seasons from his position group.

OU reportedly firing tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley

Finley had been on the Sooners' coaching staff since Lincoln Riley's final season as OU's head coach in 2021. Venables then kept Finley on staff, then eventually added co-offensive coordinator to his title in 2024.

Last season, after offensive coordinator Seth Littrell was fired midseason, Finley took over play-calling duties for the Sooners, but lost his role as co-offensive coordinator when Ben Arbuckle took over the offense last offseason.

Before coaching, Finley was a standout tight end himself for the Sooners after orginally getting to OU as a quarterback. He was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention as a junior and senior. He then bounced around the NFL for five years between the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers.

Finley started his coaching career at the high school level before becoming a graduate assistant at OU in 2012. After brief stops at Los Fresnos High School in Texas and Baylor, he got his first job as a tight ends coach in 2016 with Missouri. He then went to Texas A&M and Ole Miss before ending up back at his alma mater for five years.

The Sooners saw little to no consistent production from tight ends with Finley in charge. Tight ends that Finley recruited out of high school totaled only nine catches for 84 receiving yards and two touchdowns combined in his five years, with many heading to the Transfer Portal before ever becoming a contributor. Even right now, the Sooners are in the midst of a complete overhaul at the position ahead of the portal opening on Friday, which could have influenced the timing of Finley's firing.

This is a move OU fans have been wanting for years, especially last offseason, and many were starting to worry Finley would again be OU's tight ends coach in 2026, so were relieved when the news broke.