Oklahoma's Tight Ends Look Like a 'Transformed' Unit Under Jason Witten

NORMAN — Midway through spring practice, the additions to Oklahoma’s tight end group appear to be panning out.

“There's probably not a position on our team that transformed more from the roster from the end of the season to where we're at now,” OU coach Brent Venables said on Tuesday night.

Venables and general manager Jim Nagy targeted the tight end unit as an area of the roster that could see major improvement over the offseason, both as weapons for quarterback John Mateer in the passing game and as assets to help the offensive line in the running game.

The Sooners added experienced Florida tight end Hayden Hansen as well as Jack Van Dorselaer, who earned his way onto the field as a freshman for Tennessee last year.

They added an experienced piece in former Colorado State tight end Rocky Beers, too, and brought the whole thing together by hiring future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten to coach the entire unit.

“It's noticeably different,” Venables said.

That’s great news for the Sooners on a couple of fronts.

In Ben Arbuckle’s last season as offensive coordinator at Washington State, he did a nice job of exploiting mismatches with his tight ends in the red zone.

Cougar tight ends hauled in 21 total receptions in 2024, but seven of those catches were touchdowns.

Last year, Oklahoma’s tight ends had the opposite impact.

Jaren Kanak, a converted linebacker, was a threat over the middle of the field between the 20’s, but he finished the year without a touchdown grab.

With Hansen, who stands at 6-foot-7, alongside Van Dorselaer (6-foot-4) and Beers (6-foot-5), Arbuckle should again have more options near the goal line.

Oklahoma Sooners, Hayden Hansen — Oklahoma tight end Hayden Hansen catches a pass during a spring practice. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

Hansen caught 57 passes over the past three years for the Gators, including five touchdowns, and Beers finished his 2025 campaign with 31 catches for 388 yards and seven scores.

The extra size should also help Witten’s unit move bodies in the perimeter, as Venables tries to instill a “kick-ass” mindset across the entire offense to improve Oklahoma’s rushing attack in 2026.

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“It's been a really good group,” Venables said. “Again, got good bodies there, physical, athletic, and doing a good job in both the passing game and the running game, both.

“Jason's done a nice job of bringing those guys along quickly within the system and them understanding what we want them to do, and in both the run and the pass game.”