Oklahoma TE Jaren Kanak Looking Forward to ‘Surreal’ Senior Day vs. LSU

Jaren Kanak has been a force on offense, defense and special teams since arriving in Norman in 2022.

Oklahoma tight end Jaren Kanak | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Jaren Kanak’s path from Game 1 to Game 51 has been unconventional.

Kanak, the Sooners’ linebacker turned tight end, has seen the highs and lows within Oklahoma’s program since 2022. Whether on offense, defense or special teams, Kanak has regularly been a factor, appearing in all 50 of OU’s games since his arrival in Norman.

On Saturday, Kanak will be one of many senior Sooners honored before OU’s regular-season finale against LSU.

“Snuck up on me like everybody said it would,” Kanak said. “Nobody ever believes it. It's pretty surreal."

Kanak’s previous 50 games at OU have led to Saturday's game.

He endured two seasons in which the Sooners finished 6-7 (2022 and 2024). Kanak was also a key defender for OU’s 2023 team that started 7-0 before losing back-to-back games late in the season to miss the College Football Playoff.

In Kanak’s final year at OU, he has the chance to help Oklahoma reach the CFP for the first time since 2019.

Despite the game’s high stakes and the emotions that may arise on senior day, Kanak stressed the importance of avoiding distractions.

“Obviously, it's a very cool opportunity in front of us,” Kanak said. “But everybody's just gonna say we're just going to revert back to our process and do what we do. No matter what our record is, no matter what the implications of the game are, we're going to go out and try to win it. Just try to go 1-0 every week."

Kanak’s senior year has been far different than his previous three, as he made the switch from defense to offense prior to the season — and he has been a key weapon for the Sooners’ offense.

The converted linebacker has registered 457 yards on 34 catches so far in 2025. He has caught at least one pass in each of OU’s first 11 games, and he logged more than 50 yards in each of the Sooners’ first four contests.

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While this is Kanak’s first season playing on OU’s offense, his experience within the program has been monumental for a unit that looks vastly different than it did a year ago.

“He brings great leadership,” said quarterback John Mateer, who transferred to OU from Washington State before the 2025 season. “It's not easy for him to change positions in his last year, and he's given it everything he has. He deserves every bit of what he’s getting.”

While Kanak has been a reliable option for the Sooners’ offense, he has yet to catch a touchdown pass.

Kanak admitted that scoring in his final home regular-season game would be memorable.

“It’d be really cool, you know what I mean?” Kanak said. “I already got one in my career. It was on special teams, I don’t know if that counts or not. But it would be very cool, obviously. It would help the team win.”

As rewarding as a touchdown would be for Kanak, it isn’t his primary goal for Saturday’s game.

Kanak believes that a CFP-clinching win in front of the crowd that he has played in front of for four seasons would be the best way to close out his regular-season career at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

“We've got tunnel vision on just worrying about not beating Oklahoma this week and doing what we need to do to win this game and letting everything else kind of play itself out,” Kanak said.