Oklahoma Freshman Tyler Ruxer Ready to Compete in 'Strong' Tight End Room

NORMAN — Tyler Ruxer admitted that his first two weeks at OU weren’t easy.

Ruxer, a tight end who signed with Oklahoma as part of the Sooners’ 2026 recruiting class, graduated high school early before enrolling in January.

Like the vast majority of first-year college students, Ruxer had never left home — so the more-structured setup with no parental guidance was new for the freshman tight end.

“It’s just a big adjustment, coming from high school,” Ruxer said. “The first two weeks were kind of an adjustment phase, getting set up with the schedule, learning to wake up early in the mornings to come in and be ready to go. Lifting and just the intensity of everything was big.”

Thankfully for Ruxer, the older people around him have helped him get acclimated.

The Sooners hired Jason Witten to be their new tight ends coach in January. Witten replaces Joe Jon Finley, who Oklahoma parted ways with after the 2025 season.

Ruxer acknowledged that he was a bit starstruck when someone with Witten’s pedigree — 11 Pro Bowl appearances in 17 NFL seasons — joined OU’s staff.

But Ruxer quickly learned that Witten is essentially his teacher now, not a celebrity that he should idolize.

“Your eyes get woken up the first time he really chews into you,” Ruxer said. “It’s just another coach, not an NFL superstar. It kind of opens your eyes to everything.”

Oklahoma’s tight end room also has a wide range of ages.

Ruxer and fellow freshman Ryder Mix are the lone first-year players, while Tennessee transfer Jack Van Dorselaer will be a sophomore in 2026.

The Sooners added a pair of veterans from the portal, too, in Rocky Beers and Hayden Hansen. Hansen will be a senior in 2026 after three seasons at Florida, while Beers has played college football since 2021 — and he is a married 24-year-old with a child on the way.

While they aren’t coaches, Hansen and Beers have combined for thousands of snaps at the collegiate level, and Ruxer sees them as role models in the position group.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.

“I thought about it the other day, I was like, ‘(Beers) was graduating high school when I was still in middle school,’” Ruxer said. “Some people would be pushed away when they see older guys coming in like that because they have so much experience, but I really have embraced having them here and learning from them. It’s good to have some older leadership in the room.”

It’s hard to predict exactly what Oklahoma’s tight end rotation will look like in 2026.

Witten was previously the head coach at Liberty Christian School in Texas, meaning it’s unclear how he will utilize the several players at the position group.

Hansen and Beers will likely see their fair share of snaps, as they both transferred to Oklahoma with great experience. Van Dorselaer also played in all 13 games during his true freshman season at Tennessee, so he has already gotten a taste of SEC football.

With a handful of more experienced guys in the tight end room, Ruxer and Mix likely won’t see as many snaps this year.

But Ruxer plans to compete for playing time. And as a result of the tight ends’ healthy competition, he expects every player in the position group to improve.

“I think people can expect a lot of depth and a lot of versatility; we have a lot of different guys in the room and a lot of guys who specialize in different areas,” Ruxer said. “You can expect to see some competition in the room for playing time, and I think as we continue to compete with each other and make each other better, we’re just going to continue to get better. We’re going to be really strong.”

Oklahoma will open its 2026 season against UTEP on Sept. 5.