Is Run Blocking Still a Concern for Oklahoma’s Tight End Room?

With a new position coach and three transfer signees, the Sooners' tight end room can take a major step forward in 2026.

Oklahoma tight end Hayden Hansen prepares to catch a pass during practice. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

In every way, the Sooners reloaded their tight end room after the 2025 season.

Oklahoma hired Jason Witten to be its new tight ends coach in January, replacing Joe Jon Finley. The Sooners also signed three tight ends — Hayden Hansen, Rocky Beers, and Jack Van Dorselaer — from the transfer portal, in addition to the two Class of 2026 tight ends, Tyler Ruxer and Ryder Mix, that they signed.

Witten, of course, is a 17-year NFL veteran. He served as the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Texas prior to accepting the role of Oklahoma’s tight ends coach.

Hansen spent three years at Florida before transferring, while Beers is entering his sixth year of college football. Van Dorselaer is only a sophomore, but he appeared in all 13 of Tennessee’s games as a true freshman in 2025.

The personnel is there for OU’s tight end room to make a large leap forward in 2026, especially when you consider Hansen and Beers’ proven production.

Hansen is coming off his best collegiate season, as he caught 30 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns for the Gators in 2025. Beers was one of only a few offensive standouts on a middling Colorado State team, as he recorded 388 yards and seven touchdowns on 31 receptions.

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Both of them have experience catching touchdown passes, which bodes well for Oklahoma’s chances of becoming even more efficient in the red zone.

What’s still unknown is how effective the Sooners’ new-look tight end group will be in blocking situations.

Oklahoma’s tight ends struggled mightily in run-blocking situations a year ago.

While Jaren Kanak’s 44 catches for 533 yards were impactful, he posted a dismal 43.9 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade on 204 run-blocking snaps. Three of the Sooners’ four tight ends who appeared on more than 50 snaps posted run-blocking grades below 50, and Carson Kent — who transferred to Pittsburgh after the season — was the only exception at 56.3.

OU finished the 2025 season ranked 13th in the SEC in rushing, averaging only 118.5 yards per game. Poor run-blocking wasn’t the only cause of the Sooners’ inconsistent run game, but it certainly didn’t help.

The good news? The personnel is, as mentioned, almost entirely different.

Hansen and Beers both logged respectable run-blocking numbers in 2025, finishing with 56.7 and 56.4 grades, respectively. Van Dorselaer’s 44.6 grade wasn’t particularly impressive, but he was also a true freshman playing against SEC defenses for the first time.

Oklahoma’s offense needs an effective run game to take a large step forward — and the tight ends are integral in making that a reality.

OU’s tight end room can’t get much worse in the run-blocking department. But fans will need to see it to believe that the position has made strides in that area.