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Hayden Hansen On Playing For Jason Witten: “I Would Be A Fool Not To Maximize This”
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- Hayden Hansen On Playing For Jason Witten: “I Would Be A Fool Not To Maximize This”
(USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
Oklahoma tight end Hayden Hansen has been around the SEC long enough to know the difference between ordinary coaching and something special. The big tight end made that clear when he talked about working with tight ends coach Jason Witten in Oklahoma 's " The Hurry-Up " Q&A series.
"It's just surreal. You walk in there every day, and some days in fall camp you're tired or you can't think straight, but you have in the back of your mind that you're about to get coached by a hall of famer each day. He's just the best of the best, and he's done it his whole life. It's nothing you can take lightly. I would be a fool to look back in ten years and be like 'dang, I had Jason Witten as my coach and I didn't maximize every opportunity.' He knows our weaknesses, and we are just all in on what he says."
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Hansen is a sixth-year player with plenty of SEC experience, yet he's still struck by the fact that one of the best to ever play the position is coaching him every day. The respect is obvious, and so is the urgency. He doesn't want to look back and feel like he wasted the chance.
Hansen arrived in Norman as one of the key pieces in a complete overhaul of the tight end room. At 6-foot-8 and 270 pounds, he has the kind of frame that immediately stands out. He's a traditional in-line tight end who spent most of his time at Florida attached to the formation as an extra blocker. That background fits what Oklahoma wants more of in the run game. He's also surprisingly fluid for his size, with strong testing numbers in change-of-direction drills and the ability to get up to nearly 21 mph once he hits his stride.
The red zone is where his size should show up most. Hansen has the length and strength to box out defenders and give John Mateer a big target when the field shrinks. Durability has been another strength — he came to Oklahoma with a long streak of consecutive starts and plenty of games played in the SEC. That kind of reliability matters over a long season.
There are still areas to grow. Hansen's receiving production at Florida was modest because of how he was used. He's never put up big statistical numbers, and part of this final season is about showing he can be more than just a blocker. Pass protection has generally been solid, though quicker edge rushers have given him trouble at times. Witten's job is to help clean those things up and expand what Hansen can do.
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Having a coach who played the position at an elite level for so long gives the room a different kind of credibility. Witten can look at a tight end and immediately diagnose the little details — hand placement, footwork, leverage, route nuance — because he lived it. Hansen's comment about Witten already knowing their weaknesses tracks with that. When a coach has that kind of eye, the teaching becomes more specific and the standard rises.
For Oklahoma , getting real contributions from the tight ends would help in a couple of important ways. The run game needs more physicality on the edge, and Mateer needs reliable options in the middle of the field and the red zone. Hansen's size and experience make him a natural fit for both roles if the details continue to improve under Witten .
The mindset Hansen described is the right one. He's not treating the opportunity casually. He's aware of how rare it is to get coached by someone with Witten's résumé and is approaching it like a chance he can't waste. That kind of urgency from a veteran player usually sets a good example for the rest of the room, especially in a group that is still learning Witten's expectations.
Hansen still has to go out and produce. The tools are there, the experience is there, and now the coaching resources are there too. If he maximizes the daily work the way he talked about, Oklahoma should get a more complete version of him in 2026 — one that can still handle the dirty work in-line while becoming a more consistent factor in the passing game.
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The surreal part makes sense. Walking into the meeting room and seeing a future Hall of Famer ready to coach you every day is not normal. Hansen seems determined not to take it for granted.
That attitude, paired with his physical traits, gives him a real chance to make his final college season count.
