Oklahoma’s new tight ends coach is a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist.
The Sooners are set to add former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten to their coaching staff, according to On3. Witten’s hire comes as his son, Cooper Witten, is the No. 1 linebacker in the country and a five-star recruit in the high school class of 2027.
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According to Rivals, Cooper Witten is the No. 19 player in the country and the No. 4 player in Texas. The Sooners were a top contender in his recruitment before Jason Witten was added to the coaching staff. Now, Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman and Steve Wiltfong have said they believe that Cooper Witten will play for Oklahoma.
Jason Witten, 43, played in the NFL from 2003 through 2017 for the Dallas Cowboys. He came back for the 2019 season with the Cowboys, too, and then played for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. In between, he served as the lead analyst for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” in 2018.
Witten logged 1,228 catches for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns across his career. He joined Tony Gonzalez as the second tight end with over 13,000 receiving yards and Travis Kelce joined the club on Sunday in the Kansas City Chiefs’ final game of the 2025 season.
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In late December, Witten was named one of 15 modern-era finalists for the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot along with Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald. Eli Manning is also a finalist, along with Luke Kuechly. Philip Rivers was a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame but was removed from the group when he returned to play for the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the season.
Oklahoma is Witten’s first college coaching job. After retiring from the NFL, Witten has been the head coach at Liberty Christian High School in Argyle, Texas, where Cooper plays football.