OU quarterback John Mateer
revealed how the Oklahoma Sooners
' hiring of tight ends coach Jason Witten
is already paying major dividends while at SEC Media Days.
The Oklahoma Sooners
made several coaching staff changes this offseason, but none generated more buzz than the hiring of former All-Pro tight end Jason Witten as the team's new tight ends coach.
Witten, a future Hall of Famer who spent 17 NFL seasons compiling 1,228 catches, 13,000 receiving yards, and 74 receiving touchdowns, left his high school head coaching job in Texas
to join Brent Venables' staff in Norman. The move caught everyone off guard, and so far, it looks like a home run for OU.
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Nobody saw this coming. There was no indication Witten wanted to leave high school football, and he had no prior connection to Oklahoma. He played at Tennessee
. Yet from everything coaches and players have shared, Witten has been a natural fit on this staff. He routinely stays late after practice to work with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on route concepts, discussing leverage and technique at a level only someone with his playing resume can.
Those credentials speak for themselves. Witten ranks fourth all-time in NFL receptions
, 22nd in receiving yards, and 43rd in touchdowns. If you're building a list of people qualified to coach the tight end position, he sits near the very top.
Witten has silenced the recruiting concerns
The biggest question surrounding Witten's hire was whether he could recruit at the college level. High school coaches recruit, sure, but the demands of college recruiting operate on an entirely different scale. Witten answered that question quickly.
He landed Seneca Driver, the No. 1 tight end in the 2027 recruiting class. He also played a role in the commitment of his son, Cooper Witten, one of the top linebackers in the country, to OU. Those two additions alone represent a significant return on investment for a coach still settling into his first college position.
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At SEC Media Days on Monday, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer spoke about the impact Witten has made.
"I'm around him as much as I can," Mateer said at SEC Media Days
. "He wants to share his wisdom. And we've seen that in the offense. It's been great. There's not a whole lot of people like that, but he's one of them."
That kind of endorsement from the starting quarterback tells you everything about how Witten has integrated himself into this program. He's sharing knowledge freely, and the offense is already better for it.
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Could Witten's time in Norman be short-lived?
The concern with a hire this good is that it might not last. Witten's trajectory suggests someone will eventually pursue him for an offensive coordinator role, and it would be difficult to blame him for taking that step. The ideal scenario for OU involves Arbuckle landing a head coaching job and Witten sliding into the coordinator chair. That doesn't always work out so neatly, though.
For now, Oklahoma earned an A+ on this offseason hire. Witten has exceeded expectations as a coach, surprised people as a recruiter, and earned the trust of his players in a matter of months. The Sooners will take every day they get with him on staff.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: John Mateer revealed how the Oklahoma Sooners' hiring of tight ends coach Jason Witten is already paying major dividends
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