David Pollack believes Jason Witten was a 'great hire' for the Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners and head coach Brent Venables made several significant changes to the program during the offseason. Those changes included replacing three assistant coaches from last season's staff.

Cornerbacks coach Jay Valai and running backs coach DeMarco Murray, both members of Venables' original staff, departed for coaching opportunities in the NFL. Valai joined the Buffalo Bills, while Murray accepted a position with the Kansas City Chiefs. Tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley also departed after the position struggled to produce consistently during his tenure.

Oklahoma replaced Finley with legendary former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, who spent the past several years coaching at the high school level in Texas. College football analyst David Pollack believes Oklahoma made one of the best coaching hires of the offseason.

"When you've got a guy like Witten, who played for the Cowboys for all of those years, Hall of Famer, like that does not hurt you in the slightest bit," Pollack said on 'See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack.' "That was a great hire for them."

The Sooners already saw the benefits of landing someone like Witten. They completely transformed the room in the transfer portal, landing Florida Gators' transfer Hayden Hansen, Colorado State Rams' transfer Rocky Beers and Tennessee Volunteers' transfer Jack Van Dorselaer. It's also paying off in recruiting as Oklahoma has the No. 1-ranked tight end, Seneca Driver, committed in the 2027 class.

Witten arrived in Norman with one of the most accomplished résumés in football, and early returns suggest Oklahoma is already benefiting from his presence. The players he's added give Venables another reason to believe the offense can take a significant step forward in 2026. If Witten can translate his NFL success into player development, his hiring could become one of the program's most impactful offseason moves.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: David Pollack believes Jason Witten was a 'great hire' for the Sooners