Jaren Kanak Learning Oklahoma Offense, TE Position from Another Converted LB

NORMAN — The project of converting Jaren Kanak from a linebacker to a tight end is nothing new for Ben Arbuckle.

Arbuckle, OU’s offensive coordinator who joined the staff after the 2024 season, previously coached at Washington State. There, Arbuckle moved Cougars tight end Cooper Mathers from linebacker to tight end.

Mathers quickly became one of WSU’s key offensive playmakers, logging 447 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in two seasons as a tight end.

Through two games as a tight end, Kanak has caught 10 passes for 159 yards.

“They're very similar,” Arbuckle said. “They have the same sense of humor, same kind of personality. Same kind of story, really.”

Kanak spent three years on the Sooners’ defense, logging 10 starts at linebacker. His most productive season came in 2023, when he registered 62 tackles, six tackles for loss and two sacks, helping OU go 10-3.

Kanak’s transition to tight end hasn’t been perfect. He fumbled in OU’s season opener against Illinois State, and he dropped a would-have-been touchdown against Michigan.

Still, Kanak has proven that he can be a weapon for quarterback John Mateer, thanks to his size and athleticism.

Now two games into his stint on the offense, Kanak hasn’t looked back.

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“I’m having a lot of fun,” Kanak said after OU’s 24-13 win against Michigan. “You get to fly around and make plays. It’s a great position to play.”

Mathers played two seasons as a linebacker at Washington State. His biggest defensive season came in 2021, when he appeared in 11 games and made two tackles.

Mathers had begun his move to tight end when Arbuckle joined the WSU staff in 2023, but he was still a project. Once Arbuckle got his hands on the converted tight end, he became a standout.

In 2023, Mathers logged 251 yards and a touchdown. And as a senior in 2024, Mathers went for 196 yards and six touchdowns on 13 receptions.

Once Arbuckle arrived in Norman, he put Kanak in contact with Mathers. He had seen, first-hand, that a defensive player could stand out on offense, so he asked Mathers to give Kanak some advice before officially making the position switch.

“They message each other on Instagram,” Arbuckle said. “I talked to him last week, and he said that he and Jaren have (direct messaged) back and forth, especially early on whenever we got here. Coop made plays last year, and Jaren would see it whenever we were doing install cut-ups or something.”

Through two games, Kanak is second on the team with 159 receiving yards. He leads the team with 15.9 yards per catch and is third on the squad with 10 receptions.

Kanak has become a key player for OU’s offense because of his natural football skills, offseason dedication and his desire to learn from Arbuckle and Mathers.

But he isn’t a finished product. Kanak knows that he can become an even more impactful player as Oklahoma’s offense looks to continue churning.

“There’s a lot of stuff that I can clean up and, obviously, catching the ball when it comes my way and just going out there and playing the best game I can,” Kanak said. “We’re just gonna focus on being who we are and being the best team we can be moving forward.”