Oklahoma fired second-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle on Monday.
Jason Witten, the former star tight end for the Dallas Cowboys, will take over as interim offensive coordinator and play caller, coach Brent Venables confirmed. Witten, 44, joined the Oklahoma staff as tight ends coach prior to the start of the season following a stint as head coach of Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas.
“My responsibility is to the whole team and what I believe is best for us right now. We need a change,” Venables said in a statement. “I believe we still have meaningful opportunities ahead and a responsibility to maximize them. Our expectations remain high and our commitment to meeting them is unwavering.”
The Sooners (4-4, 2-3 Southeastern Conference) rank 15th out of 16 SEC teams in scoring offense (22.0 points per game) and total offense (336.9 yards per game). They’re coming off a 42-25 loss Saturday at South Carolina, where the offense managed just three first-half points to bury the team in a 28-10 halftime hole.
Arbuckle, 31, was seen as a rising star in the coaching ranks when he left his position as Washington State OC to join the Sooners ahead of the 2025 season, bringing coveted Washington State quarterback transfer John Mateer with him to Norman.
However, Mateer missed time and was limited by a hand injury in 2025 and hasn’t rediscovered his former form when healthy this season.
After Mateer threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2024 with the Cougars, he’s thrown 27 TDs and 18 interceptions through his first 20 games at Oklahoma.
The Sooners made the College Football Playoff in 2025 as the No. 8 seed on the shoulders of their defense, which ranked sixth nationally in total defense, before losing a first-round home game against ninth-seeded Alabama.
With four losses already this season, Oklahoma won’t make it back to the Playoff and now looks to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 1998.
–Field Level Media
