All eyes around Norman have been on interim offensive coordinator Jason Witten and what the future could hold if he becomes the permanent man for the job. He was the main focus of head coach Brent Venables’ Tuesday press conference, as OU (5-4, 3-3 SEC) looks to build on a 23-7 win over Florida (5-4, 3-4).
His tenure as offensive play-caller started off on a high note Saturday night with the Sooner offense garnering over 350 yards and two touchdowns while suffocating Florida with a 20-play drive that lasted nearly 13 minutes. Although Venables did not make clear what else Witten needs to do to secure the job as his own, the head coach believes being a full-time college play-caller is in Witten’s near future.
“Absolutely,” Venables said. “He's a fantastic mentor, teammate. He sees the game with a very unique lens, in my opinion, and he's a really effective leader and communicator.”
Venables believes Witten’s love of the game goes a long way in what he needs to be a successful coach.
“He loves the game,” Venables said. “He loves the players. He loves the journey of the guys. He understands it intimately, and I think that's what makes him an effective coach.”
The role Witten has played throughout the season has not gone unnoticed by Venables or the players.
“Prior to him being named the play-caller, one of the reasons that we made that decision (to hire him) is because he's a leader,” Venables said. “People believe him. They follow him. The impact that he had on the tight end room in a very short amount of time with a bunch of new guys, his fingerprints are all over.”
Witten was vaulted into the interim spot after Venables fired former offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle last Monday. Venables admitted that, although the offense made “incremental improvement” from 2024 to 2025, it was not good enough, and the pressure that put on the defense was starting to affect its play.
“Yes,” Venables said when asked if making a coaching change was important to getting the defense back into a good headspace. “From a timing standpoint, (there is) never a good time to make those types of decisions, but it was the right time.”
Witten’s offense seemed to take weight off the defense's shoulders against Florida, with the unit being on the field for roughly 23 minutes of game time. As the offense dominated with 37 minutes of possession time, Venables saw Witten spark trust and confidence in his offense.
“What (Witten) did best, and the staff did (best) last week, was get the guys to be able to play with confidence,” Venables said. “I think the more you can get your players to think like you and talk like you in our space, act like us, whatever that looks like, I think the better they're going to play and the more confidence that they'll play with.”
OU and Witten will look to clinch a bowl game against No. 19 Mississippi (6-3, 4-3) at 3:15 p.m. this Saturday at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on SEC Network.
This story was ediyed by Joshua McDaniel.
