Who could replace Joe Jon Finely as Oklahoma's tight ends coach

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the hunt for a new tight ends coach after the news broke that they are parting ways with Joe Jon Finley. Finley has been the tight ends coach at Oklahoma since 2021, being hired prior to Lincoln Riley's last season in Norman.

This will be the first assistant hire that offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle will get to make after inheriting the staff that's been here since the start of the Brent Venables era. Here's a look at a trio of names that could be in the mix for the job.

Jason Witten, Liberty High Head Coach

The former Dallas Cowboys great and future Hall of Famer has been the head football coach at Liberty for the last five seasons and according to SoonerScoop.com is interested in getting into college coaching. Witten would be a big name hire despite not having coached at the collegiate level. His playing resume and connections to the Dallas/Fort Worth coaching scene would make him an intriguing addition. And if you watched his career in Dallas, you know he's cut from a similar cloth as head coach Brent Venables.

Witten played alongside DeMarco Murray during their time in Dallas and has a relationship with the Oklahoma staff, who have been recruiting his son Cooper. Cooper Witten is a five-star linebacker in the 2027 recruiting class.

Brian Lepak, Kansas State Tight Ends/Fullbacks Coach

Brian Lepak has done a really nice job coaching tight ends and fullbacks at Kansas State during his career. He's also spent time with Wilson and Oklahoma as an offensive graduate assistant in years past. Lepak was the tight ends coach from 2022 to 2024.

In 2024, tight end Garrett Oakley was fourth on the team in receiving and tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions with five. Lepak also oversaw the development of Ben Sinnott, who led the Wildcats in receiving and touchdowns during the 2023 season.

Kevin Wilson, Oklahoma Offensive Analyst

The Oklahoma Sooners have someone on staff who makes a ton of sense: Kevin Wilson. Wilson coached the position in his first stint with the Sooners from 2006 to 2010. He also coached the position during a six-year run with Ohio State from 2017 to 2022. He's got familiarity with Ben Arbuckle now as an analyst on the offensive side of the ball.

This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Jason Witten among names to watch in Oklahoma tight ends coach search