Oklahoma believes one of the biggest keys to unlocking its offense in 2026 won't be a quarterback, receiver or running back. It will be the tight ends. No position group in Norman underwent a more dramatic offseason transformation than the one led by new tight ends coach Jason Witten. That's right, the former Dallas Cowboys star tight end, and 11-time Pro Bowler, is making his collegiate coaching debut, but the Sooners also aggressively reshaped the room through the transfer portal, building one of the most experienced tight end groups in the country.
The position wasn't completely absent from Oklahoma's offense in 2025, but it wasn't nearly as impactful as it needed to be. While converted linebacker Jaren Kanak emerged as one of the nation's most productive tight ends with 533 receiving yards -- 11th among FBS tight ends -- the Sooners still managed just one touchdown reception from the position and never consistently generated the blocking support needed to stabilize the run game.
Those shortcomings were part of an offense that ranked 97th nationally in yards per play (5.32) and 118th in yards per rush (3.54).
Put simply, Oklahoma got a high-end season from Kanak in terms of receiving yards, but not enough scoring punch, depth or functional run-game impact from the position group to sustain balance in the offense. That led to a complete reset this offseason, with the Sooners overhauling the room and hiring the future Pro Football Hall of Famer, Witten, to reshape its identity.
As a result, there is a growing belief around Norman that Oklahoma's tight end overhaul could be one of the most important developments for the team heading into 2026.
"It's going to be massive for both the run game and the pass game," a source told CBS Sports this spring.
A complete rebuild of the tight end room
None of the Oklahoma tight ends who caught a pass during the 2025 season are on the 2026 roster. Kanak was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the NFL Draft in April, while Kaden Helms transferred to Minnesota and Carson Kent transferred to Pittsburgh. Will Huggins, another member of the rotation, exhausted his eligibility.
The Sooners do return John Locke Jr., Kade McIntyre and Trynae Washington, but replacing the production and experience lost from last year's room quickly became one of the staff's top offseason priorities.
That led Oklahoma to the transfer portal, where it added Florida's Hayden Hansen, Colorado State's Rocky Beers and Tennessee's Jack Van Dorselaer in an effort to remake the position.
The additions, combined with Oklahoma's returning tight ends, have transformed the room into one of the most experienced groups in the country entering 2026, a contrast from a year ago when the Sooners leaned heavily on a converted linebacker for much of their receiving production at the position.
Collectively, Oklahoma's tight ends rank second among all FBS programs in career offensive snaps (3,031) and starts (48), fifth in receptions (119), sixth in yards receiving (1,232) and second in touchdown receptions (16).
The experience extends beyond the passing game. Oklahoma's tight ends enter the season with 1,532 career run-blocking snaps -- the most of any FBS tight end room. For a team that finished 109th nationally in success rate on run plays last season, those numbers may be as significant as the group's receiving production.
Oklahoma's 2026 tight end room: Career production
| Category | Total | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
Offensive Snaps | 3,031 | 2nd |
Starts | 48 | 2nd |
| Targets | 159 | 5th |
Receptions | 119 | 5th |
Yards receiving | 1,232 | 6th |
Receiving TDs | 16 | 2nd |
| Explosive Catches (16+yards) | 25 | 6th |
Run-block snaps | 1,532 | 1st |
Data source: TruMedia
Hansen is the headliner. Rated as a four-star transfer and the No. 2 tight end in the recent portal cycle, his 1,763 career offensive snaps in the FBS are the most among all returning tight ends entering the 2026 season. Just as importantly, 914 of those snaps came as a run blocker, giving Oklahoma a proven in-line presence it lacked at times a year ago.
Beers arrives with perhaps the most impressive receiving résumé of the group. In 28 career games at Colorado State, he totaled 53 receptions for 572 yards and nine touchdowns while establishing himself as one of the most reliable pass-catchers at the position. Among the 348 returning FBS tight ends, only one has seen more targets than Beers (65) without recording a drop.
Van Dorselaer is the youngest of the additions but may have the highest ceiling. The former four-star prospect appeared in 13 games for Tennessee last season and gives Oklahoma another SEC-tested option with multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Oklahoma's tight end additions by the numbers
| Player | Notable returning FBS ranks among tight ends |
|---|---|
Hayden Hansen | 1st in offensive snaps (1,763); 1st in run-block snaps (914); 12th in receptions (57); 14th in yards receiving (605) |
Rocky Beers | T-6th in receiving TDs (9); 17th in receptions (53); 19th in yards receiving (572); 2nd-most targets by TE without a drop (65) |
Jack Van Dorselaer | Former four-star transfer; appeared in 13 games at Tennessee in 2025 |
Data source: TruMedia
Jason Witten's immediate imprint on the room
For Oklahoma, the hope is that Witten's résumé as a player translates into immediate credibility in the meeting room and on the practice field. One of the most accomplished tight ends in NFL history, Witten finished his 16-year career with 1,228 receptions and more than 13,000 yards receiving while earning a reputation as one of the league's most complete in-line players.
Just as important, Witten is not stepping into coaching for the first time. After retiring from the NFL in 2021, he spent the past several years leading Liberty Christian in Texas, where he built one of the state's top high school programs and guided the team to back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024. Those teams also developed a physical identity that mirrors what Oklahoma is trying to build at the tight end position.
"He coaches with great passion and energy, and when a coach shows up prepared, detailed, and he's really passionate about it, I think you can really take the players to another level," Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said this spring.
That message has already resonated inside a tight end room that now looks dramatically different from a year ago. With Hansen's in-line experience, Beers' reliability in the passing game and Van Dorselaer's developmental upside, Witten inherits a group with far more defined tools than the one that struggled through inconsistency in 2025.
Offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle also noticed how quickly Witten imposed structure and expectations on the position.
"Coach Witten's an ultimate pro -- an unbelievable coach, great human, and he's a great mentor to those tight ends," Arbuckle said. "He holds them accountable, he coaches them hard, he demands a lot out of them, and he doesn't compromise anything, whether it's in little individual drills, in the meeting room -- nothing."
If Oklahoma's tight end transformation is going to match the internal optimism around the program, it will require that blend of proven production and immediate coaching impact to come together quickly. For a team searching for balance, the entire offensive outlook could depend on it.
