REPORT: Jason Witten Joining Oklahoma as Tight Ends Coach — Will 5-Star Son Cooper Follow From Liberty Christian?

Former Dallas Cowboys Tight End Jason Witten Leaves Argyle Liberty Christian to Join Oklahoma Staff, Raising Questions About Son Cooper’s Future

After five years as head football coach at Argyle Liberty Christian, former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, an 11-time NFL Pro Bowl selection and two-time NFL first-team All-Pro who helped guide the Warriors to two TAPPS state championships, is reportedly being hired to coach tight ends at the University of Oklahoma. / Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Former Dallas Cowboys great Jason Witten is soon expected to take the next step in his coaching career — and it’s one that carries wide-reaching implications.

Witten, the head football coach at Argyle Liberty Christian High School and a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, is reportedly set to join the Oklahoma Sooners as their new tight ends coach. FootballScoop first reported the news. Witten replaces Joe Jon Finley, who was let go in early January after five seasons on staff in Norman.

The move immediately impacts multiple levels of football, from the college ranks to the Texas high school scene, where Witten has spent the last five seasons building Liberty Christian into one of the state’s most consistent private-school powers.

And it raises one of the most closely watched questions in recruiting circles: what comes next for his son, Cooper Witten.

Witten’s Rise at Liberty Christian Reshaped the Program

When Witten took over Liberty Christian’s football program in 2021, the Warriors were coming off back-to-back losing seasons, finishing 3-8 in 2019 and 2-7 in 2020. His first season ended with a 2-8 record in TAPPS Division II, but the foundation was quickly laid.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) spikes to ball while celebrating one of his 74 career touchdowns. / Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

In 2022, Liberty Christian surged to a 10-2 record and a 4-0 mark in district play, reaching the Division II quarterfinals before falling to Fort Worth All Saints, 37-20. The breakthrough came the following season.

The Warriors went 14-0 in 2023 and captured the TAPPS Division II state championship with a 52-10 win over Austin Regents. The program then moved up to Division I, where it continued to thrive.

Liberty Christian finished 12-1 in 2024, went 6-0 in district play and won the TAPPS Division I state championship with a 45-24 victory over Dallas Parish Episcopal. This past season, the Warriors went 8-4 overall and 5-1 in TAPPS Division I District 1.

Witten’s teams won two state championships in his final three seasons, cementing one of the most impressive turnarounds in Texas private-school football.

Cooper Witten’s Future Now Under the Microscope

Then Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett (center) poses with C.J. Witten (left) and Cooper Witten during team photos for the 2015 Pro Bowl at The Arizona Biltmore on Jan. 23, 2015 in Phoenix. Cooper Witten is now a composite five-star high school junior linebacker prospect at Argyle Liberty Christian in Texas. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With Jason Witten headed to Norman, attention naturally shifts to Cooper Witten, one of the top prospects in the 2027 class and a cornerstone of Liberty Christian’s roster.

Cooper, a two-way standout at linebacker and wide receiver, is rated as a composite five-star prospect by 247Sports. He is ranked as the No. 1 junior linebacker in Texas, the No. 4 overall junior football prospect in the state and No. 21 nationally in the 2027 class.

At 6-foot-2, 218 pounds, Cooper has been dominant on both sides of the ball. Through seven games this season, he recorded 87 total tackles, including 61 solo, with 9 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. He also intercepted a pass, broke up 4 passes, forced 7 fumbles, recovered 4 and returned one fumble 50 yards for a touchdown.

On offense, Cooper caught 41 passes for 709 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 101.3 receiving yards per game. He also plays basketball at Liberty Christian.

Recruiting interest has followed. Cooper holds at least 29 collegiate offers, including one from Oklahoma. Whether he remains at Liberty Christian or transfers to an Oklahoma school has not been determined, but the situation is now one of the more intriguing storylines tied to his father’s move.

Oklahoma Adds a Decorated Football Mind to its Staff

For Oklahoma, Witten brings a résumé few assistants can match.

Born in Washington, D.C., Witten starred at Elizabethton High School in Tennessee, playing for his grandfather, Dave Rider. He went on to play at Tennessee from 2000-02 before being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft (No. 69 overall).

Witten spent 15 seasons with the Cowboys, briefly stepped away in 2018, returned for the 2019 season and finished his career with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020. He earned 11 Pro Bowl selections, was a two-time first-team All-Pro and two-time second-team All-Pro, and is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten (82) poses with wife Michelle Witten and daughter Landy Witten and sons C.J. Witten and Cooper Witten during team photos for the 2015 Pro Bowl at The Arizona Biltmore. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He also won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2012 and the Bart Starr Award in 2013. Witten finished his NFL career with 1,228 receptions for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns.

His impact goes beyond the field. The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award is presented annually to a college football player who demonstrates leadership, character and academic success.

Now, Witten brings that experience — along with proven success as a high school head coach — to Norman. His arrival strengthens Oklahoma’s staff while leaving a major void at Liberty Christian and setting the stage for a recruiting storyline that will be followed closely over the next several months.

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