Oklahoma's Jaren Kanak Has Stayed 'Diligent' as Transitions to Tight End

NORMAN — Jaren Kanak’s football instincts took over when Oklahoma took the practice field on Wednesday.

The linebacker-turned-tight end ran a route toward the sideline in a drill, but Jaydan Hardy closed down on Kanak as the football was thrown his direction.

OU’s second-year safety managed to tip the ball, but Kanak stayed alert and caught the redirected pass and got a foot inbounds to complete a nice sideline catch.

“Me and the guys spend as much time as we can on those jugs and playing catch with John (Mateer),” said Kanak after practice. “(We’re) making it a habit to always catch the ball no matter what. And so tip drill, every ball is ours. Every ball in the air is ours.”

There’s still plenty of work for Kanak to do throughout fall camp, but he’s feeling much more comfortable after switching sides of the ball last winter.

“For three years, I’ve been learning how to be a linebacker and how to create separation and stay away from people,” he said. “Then you switch over to tight end, that’s all about getting your hands on them, bringing them close, just different techniques about where to put your hands, the footwork and all that kind of stuff. So just really keying in on that technique and mastering that.”

Kanak caught a touchdown during the Sooners’ first week of fall camp. There’s no existing hierarchy at tight end — virtually no production returns to the position from 2024 — and Kanak’s work ethic has impressed his new offensive coordinator.

“Jaren has probably honestly exceeded a lot of like my early initial expectations of him at tight end,” Arbuckle said last week. “ I talk about the O-line watching film, that dude doesn’t leave the building… He’s been awesome.”

At 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, Kanak is the shortest member of Joe Jon Finley’s tight end unit.

But he showed great instincts with the football in his hand all throughout high school, and playing with a high level of physicality has always come naturally to the Hayes, KS, product.

Oklahoma Sooners, R Mason Thomas and Jaren Kanak — Oklahoma tight end Jaren Kanak battles defensive end R Mason Thomas at a fall practice. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

“I’ve always been a physical football player,” Kanak said. “And obviously, being undersized at the position that I play, I kind of got to bring that edge of having a little bit of grit to me and a little bit of aggression. And I have natural leverage, as Coach Finley says. It’s a nice way of calling me short. But I have very natural leverage, so I can get up and under guys and really be physical with them.”

Arbuckle utilized his tight ends plenty in his rushing attack at Washington State.

When Arbuckle did dial up a play through the air for his tight ends, the ball usually ended up in the end zone. Seven of the 21 receptions for Cougar tight ends last year resulted in touchdowns.

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