OU needs to ride the Jason Witten momentum to get these top TE transfer targets

Imagine being a young tight end and getting a call from future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Witten? There wouldn't need to be an introduction, that's for sure.

The Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday hired Witten as their new tight ends coach to replace Joe Jon Finley, who was fired less than a week before Witten was hired in the midst of Transfer Portal chaos, with tight end being OU's biggest need. Now, what Witten lacks in coaching experience, he makes up for in reputation that makes him a valuable weapon for the Sooners on the recruiting trail.

Even during their short six-day window without a coach even at the position, the Sooners still managed to land two solid tight ends from the portal in Florida's Hayden Hansen and Colorado State's Rocky Beers. OU still needs more, though, as Witten's first task is to completely revamp OU's tight end room.

If the Sooners were already able to get solid additions without a coach at all, even with a late jump, they can definitely take advantage of the momentum from hiring Witten and having a legend making the calls to strengthen that group even more.

The biggest knock on Finley during last year's transfer cycle was recruiting players from lower levels, but those guys were also unproductive against lesser competition. Gavin Harris just broke out as a junior for New Mexico State with 37 receptions for 531 yards and a touchdown. His receptions and yardage totals were both third on the team.

With an SEC veteran like Hansen already in the mix, Harris is worth a flier, because even getting close to his previous production would be an upgrade to what the Sooners usually had under Finley.

Any program in the country would have been overjoyed to land Andrew Olesh last year. He was a four-star recruit in the 2025 class and, according to the 247Sports Composite, the No. 3 TE in the class. After a coaching change at Penn State, he's back on the market and still has four years of eligibility left after redshirting in 2025.

So far from the portal, the Sooners have added two veterans with just one year of college football life left. That sets up perfectly to bring in Olesh, listed at 6-foot-5, without expectations of needing to make an immediate impact and be one of the first tight ends to get the chance to fully develop under one of the best to ever play his position.

The Sooners already swiped one promising pass-catcher from across the Red River in wide receiver Parker Livingstone, so why not another? Jordan Washington didn't get much opportunity at Texas as a redshirt freshman this season, but like Olesh, he wouldn't need to immediately be a TE1 and could be a needed depth piece while developing as a former top-20 prospect at his position. And although he's from Houston, any Texas native is going to hear out a Dallas Cowboys legend.

Brody Foley, coming out of nearby Tulsa as the No. 4 TE in the portal, according to Saturday Blitz, should have immediately been the Sooners' top target. After beginning his career at Indiana, Foley broke out in his lone season at Tulsa with 37 catches for 528 yards and seven TDs.

However, he's actually already committed to Louisville, but no official signing has been announced yet and we've already seen a few flips during this transfer cycle. Obviously a lot has changed since Foley made his decision, so Witten needs to get on the phone before it's actually too late.