NORMAN — Jason Witten already has something Oklahoma’s next offensive coordinator will need: the trust of the people inside the building.
Now he has four regular-season games to show what that trust can produce on Saturdays.
A day after elevating Witten to interim offensive coordinator following Ben Arbuckle’s dismissal, Brent Venables left open the possibility that the arrangement could extend beyond this season.
Asked Tuesday whether this was an audition for the permanent job, Venables answered directly.
“Nothing’s off the table. Nothing’s off the table.”
That gives the final month another layer. Oklahoma needs wins, but the Sooners will also be evaluating whether a first-year college assistant can become the long-term answer for an offense that has struggled to establish consistency.
Venables’ explanation for choosing Witten went well beyond his NFL résumé.
“He’s over-exceeded our expectations just from a leadership, a cohesion, the improvement that he’s helped us make at the tight end position,” Venables said. “He has an incredible wealth of knowledge. His communication skills are elite. He’s built trust and real relationships with our entire staff, but also the players, which is important. They’re gonna follow people they believe in.
“But he makes people better. Just with his passion, his energy, his details, his readiness, his toughness, all of those things. He’s elevated several parts of our program in a very short amount of time.”
There is production behind the praise.
Oklahoma’s tight ends have combined for five receiving touchdowns through eight games after producing one last season. Rocky Beers has four of those touchdowns and leads SEC tight ends with 55.8 receiving yards per game. Hayden Hansen has the other score.
That does not automatically translate into success calling an entire offense. It does explain why Witten’s work earned attention before the coordinator position opened.
A bigger responsibility, with experienced help
Venables acknowledged that distinction.
“Just because you’ve been around the game doesn’t mean that you’re qualified,” he said.
His belief in Witten, he explained, came from watching how he worked within Oklahoma’s offense.
“His understanding of offensive football games, the structure, what’s good, what isn’t,” Venables said. “He’s been a part of, had a very critical role in helping Ben and doing what he was asked to do in that role as far as week-to-week preparations. So some of those things will carry over. At the end of the day it’ll be a collaboration of all of the offensive coaches together the next four weeks.”
One important part of that collaboration is Kevin Wilson.
Oklahoma’s assistant head coach for offense brings previous coordinator experience at OU and Ohio State, along with head-coaching stops at Indiana and Tulsa. During his six seasons on Ohio State’s staff, the Buckeyes averaged 524.1 yards and 43.6 points per game.
Wilson’s presence gives Witten an experienced resource as he takes on responsibilities that extend beyond knowing which play to call.
“They’ve worked well together,” Venables said. “They’ve really clicked at the hip for several months. Kevin’s got great experience, great wisdom. He’ll continue to have an impact and influence.”
The challenge is turning that collective experience into a plan the players can execute.
How much should Oklahoma carry into a game? Which concepts can its current personnel handle consistently? What happens when the opening plan stops working?
Those decisions will matter as much as any individual call.
What would progress actually look like?
The expectations have not changed, according to Venables.
“We wanna win. No. 1, we wanna win. And that takes everybody,” he said. “What comes with that? You would expect that you’ve gotta play well. You’ve gotta take care of the football, score touchdowns, play complementary football.”
For Witten, that means the evaluation cannot be limited to whether the offense looks different.
It needs to function better.
Cleaner communication, fewer wasted possessions and more touchdowns would provide meaningful evidence. So would an ability to adjust when the initial plan does not produce results.
Venables said the staff’s preparation has to show up in the players’ performance.
“There has to be an alignment, there has to be strong leadership,” he said. “You’ve got to make decisive decisions and you’ve got to work well together as much as anything. I think that’s important that players see that, they’re a part of that.”
Witten has already earned an opportunity through his work inside the program. Whether he earns the permanent job will depend on what Oklahoma does with it.
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