Oklahoma Just Handed Its Offense to a Coach Who Has Never Called a College Play
Oklahoma fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday, two days after a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina, and the coach reportedly taking over the play sheet is tight ends coach Jason Witten. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported the firing and the handoff. The Oklahoman and SoonerScoop have Witten as the interim offensive coordinator, calling plays Saturday at Florida.
Witten has been a college football coach for nine months. He has never called a play at this level, in any role.
The offense was the problem, and the numbers are brutal
The Sooners rank 111th in FBS in total offense and average 22 points a game. ESPN has them next to last in the SEC in both yards per game and touchdowns. Oklahoma opened the year at No. 10 in the AP poll.
Saturday night was the end of it. South Carolina gained 521 yards in Norman and led 28-10 at halftime, by which point Oklahoma had 71 yards of offense. Fans were chanting for Arbuckle’s job in the first half, according to OU Daily. John Mateer went 26-of-43 for 244 yards and two touchdowns, both in the fourth quarter after the game was gone.
Brent Venables did not spare himself afterward. “They out-executed us, outcoached us and out-physicled us for, you know, most of the game,” he said, per News 9. “We just didn’t coach well, didn’t have [them] well prepared, didn’t play good.”
Arbuckle took it on himself too. “We came out tentative. We looked like we weren’t ready to play. We looked undisciplined,” he said. “It’s my job to have these guys, by the time that ball’s kicking off, they’re ready to roll. I own that 100%.”
Two days later he was out. Neither Oklahoma nor Venables has issued a public statement; the reporting is source-based.
Venables has now done this twice in three seasons
This is his second in-season coordinator firing at Oklahoma. He dismissed Seth Littrell in 2024, also at 4-3. Arbuckle was in year two of a three-year deal worth a reported $1.5 million a season, hired in December 2024 off two years running the Washington State offense, where his 2024 group averaged 36.6 points a game. ESPN noted he was the youngest primary coordinator in the Power 4 when Washington State promoted him at 27.
Whenever Oklahoma hires a permanent replacement, it will be Venables’ fourth offensive coordinator in six seasons. That is a pattern, not a scheme problem.
What Witten actually brings
Witten is 44 and one of the best tight ends who ever played: 11 Pro Bowls, 1,228 catches, 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns across 15 seasons in Dallas and one in Las Vegas. He was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 and was not elected, so the “Hall of Famer” label a few outlets attached to him Monday is wrong.
His coaching record is real, and it is high school. He ran Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas, from 2021 through 2025. The Oklahoman reports his team started 2-8 and then went 44-7 over the next four seasons, winning state titles in 2023 and 2024. Oklahoma hired him in January 2026 to coach tight ends, his first job in college football.
Nobody is questioning the man. “He’s one of those rare people who represents incredibly high character, integrity and excellence,” Venables said when he hired him. The question is whether a first-year college assistant can install and call an SEC offense on five days of preparation.
The schedule does not care
Oklahoma goes to Florida on Saturday, then hosts Ole Miss and Texas A&M before closing at Missouri. Three of those four were ranked in Fox Sports’ most recent snapshot. Witten’s debut as a play caller comes on the road in the SEC.
One piece of context is worth holding onto: this same offense beat No. 1 Texas 27-24 on October 10. The talent is not the issue. But OU Daily reported Venables’ buyout would run $51.67 million if Oklahoma fired him on December 1, which gives the administration every reason to let him keep trying solutions from inside the building. Handing the offense to a tight ends coach in November is what that looks like.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
