The Biggest Question Oklahoma's New Assistants Will Face This Spring

Can Jason Witten Unlock Jack Van Dorselaer’s Full Potential?

Oklahoma Sooners, Jack Van Dorselae — Tennessee tight end Jack Van Dorselaer joined former Volunteer Jason Witten in Norman over the offseason. | Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Florida tight end Hayden Hansen was brought in to be Jason Witten’s main man, but the NFL legend can unlock the full potential of his unit by turning Tennessee transfer Jack Van Dorselaer into an all-around threat.

Handen caught 30 passes a year ago compared to Van Dorselaer’s five receptions, but the former Vol believes he has much more to show in his sophomore season.

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“I feel like I have the ability to do everything,” Van Dorselaer said at OU’s Spring Media Day. “Not just run block, not just pass block, but to do everything.”

At Tennessee, Van Dorselaer was listed at 6-foot-5 and 236 pounds.

He’ll have added weight over the offseason, and getting Van Dorselaer going in the passing game would give Oklahoma three viable options that are all 6’5” or taller when adding in Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers.

Before he was calling plays in Norman, Ben Arbuckle constructed an offense at Washington State that saw tight ends haul in seven touchdowns.

The Sooners often got points in the red zone in 2025, but too many times OU had to settle for a field goal instead of scoring touchdowns.

Having Hansen, Van Dorselaer and Beers as viable options in the passing game could help Oklahoma trade three for seven much more frequently in 2026.

How Much More Can LaMar Morgan Get Out of Jacobe Johnson?

Oklahoma Sooners, LaMar Morga — LaMar Morgan joined Oklahoma from Michigan's staff over the offseason. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LaMar Morgan is walking into an outstanding situation.

He inherited back-to-back Freshman All-Americans in Eli Bowen and Courtland Guillory, and has an experienced piece to rotate in with senior Jacobe Johnson.

The strength of OU’s defensive front a year ago was depth, and while Miguel Chavis and Todd Bates bring new pieces through, depth at cornerback could help cover up some holes on the back end in the interim.

Johnson enjoyed a solid junior campaign. He finished with nine tackles and two interceptions, but there’s still plenty of growth potential for the Mustang High School product in his final year.

Bowen has missed time to start the year in each of his first two seasons as well, showing that you never know when you’ll need someone like Johnson to step up into an even larger role in Oklahoma’s secondary.

Will Deland McCullough be Able to Bring Along an Entire Room?

Oklahoma Sooners, Deland McCulloug — Deland McCullough returns to college football after a year with the Raiders. | Greg Swiercz / USA TODAY NETWORK

Trying to get a handle on DeMarco Murray’s running back rotation was as volatile as trying to predict the stock market, leading to few running backs ever truly getting into rhythm throughout the season.

Guys would get a run for a few games, seemingly end up out of the rotation and then pop up in massive moments after being on ice for weeks at a time.

The result was Oklahoma going without a 1,000-yard rusher since Eric Gray, while many other talented guys seemed to never fully reach their potential.

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New running backs coach Deland McCullough has a track record of not only improving his feature back, but he’s also shown the ability to build an entire rotation.

And he has plenty of tools to work with.

Xavier Robinson is a proven difference-maker in the SEC when healthy. Tory Blaylock flashed before he himself got injured last year, and Jonathan Hatton Jr. and DeZephen Walker were on McCullough’s radar before he was a coach for the Las Vegas Raiders when he was at Notre Dame.

Oklahoma’s offensive line should be much better this year than the last few units Murray’s running backs have had to run behind, but McCullough has shown time and time again that he can elevate an entire room — and Oklahoma will need just that to get its rushing attack back to where Brent Venables and Arbuckle want it to be.