Honestly, if you told a Sooners fan three years ago that Brent Venables would be hiring an NFL Hall of Fame finalist to coach tight ends after a College Football Playoff run, they’d have asked what you were drinking. But here we are. It’s mid-January 2026, and the latest news Oklahoma Sooners football fans are obsessing over isn't just the transfer portal—though that's a wild ride itself—it's the arrival of Jason Witten.
This isn't some "namesake" hire. It’s a message.
Venables has been tinkering with this machine for five years now. After a 2025 season that saw the Sooners battle through the SEC meat grinder to land in the CFP, the program is at a weird, exciting crossroads. They’ve got a General Manager in Jim Nagy who treats roster building like a pro scout, and now they’ve got a Cowboys legend in the room to fix a position group that has felt, frankly, a bit stagnant.
The Jason Witten Factor: More Than Just a Gold Jacket
People keep saying "Witten has no college coaching experience." True. He's been coaching high school ball at Liberty Christian in Texas. But he went 44-7 there. He won state titles. Most importantly, he’s Jason Witten. When he walks into a living room in Dallas or Houston, the conversation changes.
Oklahoma's tight end room was a mess of "what-ifs" last year. We saw Jaren Kanak—a converted linebacker, for heaven's sake—taking snaps there because the depth was so thin. Now, with Joe Jon Finley out and Witten in, the "Sosa" era feels like ancient history. Witten isn't just here to teach blocking; he's here to ensure that guys like Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers (the Colorado State transfer and brother of OU basketball star Raegan Beers) turn into NFL-ready weapons for John Mateer.
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The Transfer Portal: Who’s In, Who’s Out, and Why It’s Hectic
The portal closes on January 16th. Right now, it's a revolving door in Norman.
You've probably seen the tracker. As of today, OU has lost something like 28 players and brought in 13. That sounds scary until you look at the quality. Jim Nagy is clearly targeting "SEC bodies." We aren't just taking flyers on potential; we’re taking starters.
- Hayden Hansen (TE, Florida): This was the first big splash. He's got 34 starts in the SEC. He doesn't need to learn how to play in this league; he’s already survived it.
- Cole Sullivan (LB, Michigan): This might be the biggest "get" for the defense. He’s a monster. 44 tackles and three picks as a sophomore at Michigan? Venables and Nagy personally recruited him to replace the outgoing production at linebacker.
- Trell Harris (WR, Virginia): With the receiver room losing eight guys (yes, eight!), Harris is a vital veteran. He was All-ACC for a reason.
But let’s be real. It hurts to see guys like Kobie McKinzie leave for Northwestern or Jovantae Barnes head out after his carries dried up. That’s the "new normal" though. If you aren't starting or in the immediate rotation by your third year, you're probably gone.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 2026 Roster
There’s this narrative that the Sooners are "rebuilding" because of the sheer number of departures.
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Wrong.
This is a retooling. There is a difference. A rebuild implies you don't have the foundation. Retooling means you have the foundation (John Mateer at QB, a veteran O-line core with Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje) but you’re swapping out the parts that didn't work.
The offensive line is actually the hidden gem of this news cycle. Bill Bedenbaugh managed to keep the core together. Michael Fasusi and Ryan Fodje got "thrown into the fire" as true freshmen in 2025. That's brutal, but that experience is gold. They’re coming into 2026 with SEC scars and a full winter of Jerry Schmidt's "strength and conditioning" torture.
The SEC Reality Check
Oklahoma finished 10-2 in the 2025 regular season. They beat LSU in a thriller where Isaiah Sategna basically willed the team to victory. But the losses to Alabama and Tennessee showed the gap is still there. Not a talent gap, maybe, but a "depth of violence" gap.
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That’s why you see the latest news Oklahoma Sooners football focus so heavily on the defensive line. They’re reloading there with guys like Kenny Ozowalu (UTSA transfer) who had 247Sports calling him one of the top edge rushers available. You can’t survive November in this league without 10 guys you trust in the trenches.
The Checklist: What Still Needs to Happen Before Spring
The portal closes in 48 hours. If I’m Jim Nagy, I’m looking at two spots:
- One more veteran Wide Receiver: You can’t rely entirely on true freshmen, even if Jayden Petit looks like the real deal. You need one more "grown man" in that room to keep the chains moving when Sategna is doubled.
- Safety Depth: We’ve seen some exits there, and while the starters are solid, an injury in the secondary in the SEC is a death sentence.
Actionable Insights for the Die-Hard Fan
If you want to keep up with the chaos without losing your mind, focus on these three things over the next week:
- Watch the Jan 16 Deadline: Anyone who isn't in the portal by Friday is staying (mostly). That’s when the 2026 roster finally takes its "real" shape.
- Keep an eye on Kip Lewis: The linebacker hasn't officially declared for the NFL or announced a return. If he stays, he and Cole Sullivan might be the best LB duo in the country. If he leaves, the portal search intensifies.
- Follow the Jason Witten "Recruiting Trail": Watch who OU targets at Tight End for the 2027 class. Witten's impact will be felt in recruiting before it's felt on the scoreboard.
The 2026 season is still months away, but the foundation being laid right now—between the Witten hire and the Nagy-led portal raids—is the most aggressive we've seen since the transition from the Big 12. It’s a fun, chaotic time to be a Sooner.
Keep an eye on the official roster releases following the January 16th portal closure to see the final scholarship count for spring ball.