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For Jason Witten, the road to Oklahoma started long before Brent Venables ever picked up the phone. It started with the coaches who shaped him.
“The reasons why I was able to have the career I did as a player is I had amazing coaches,” Witten said Monday. “My college coach was in the College Football Hall of Fame. I got drafted by Bill Parcells. So many incredible men and amazing coaches helped me become the best version of myself as a player.”
Those experiences planted a seed that coaching might eventually follow his playing career. “I always knew I loved teaching the game,” Witten said. “I loved sharing my experiences with teammates.”
Late in his career, Witten even began seeing the coaching side of football more clearly. During his season with the Raiders, he got a close look at Jon Gruden’s offense.
“One of the reasons why I went to the Las Vegas Raiders was for that…Jon Gruden was as good of an offensive mind as there was and I really got a chance to peek behind the curtain.”
Still, when his playing days ended, Witten did not rush into the college ranks. Instead, he stepped into high school football and built a program over five seasons, winning two state championships along the way.
But what stayed with him most were the relationships. “It wasn’t just the wins that came with it,” Witten said. “It was the relationships and it reminded me of why I fell in love with football.”
It also gave him something far more personal. The chance to coach his two sons.
“Those are memories that I’ll have for the rest of my life,” he said.
Even so, the pull of the college game never fully disappeared. Through those years on the sideline, Witten said he began to realize how powerful coaching could be during the most formative years of a player’s life.
“It wasn’t lost on me the impact you can have on young men off the field,” Witten said. “Eighteen to twenty-three years old, those are pivotal years in their life.”
When Venables called, the opportunity quickly felt right.
“I think it starts there with what kind of person he is,” Witten said. “He loves football. He loves people..As an assistant coach, you’ve got to believe in the head coach’s vision. You’ve got to work your butt off for that person.”
Then there was the program itself. “There’s not another program with more tradition and success over the years,” Witten added.
Just weeks into the job, he says the standard around the program has already stood out.
“The standard is the standard here,” Witten said. “There are high expectations and you guys know that. But the approach every day, the people I get to do it with, the drive to find an edge, it’s been incredible.”
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For Witten, one of the biggest challenges ahead is the same one that faces many former star players who move into coaching. Teaching.
“You’ve got to study it and articulate why you were successful,” Witten said. “You’ve got to put pen to paper and find how kids learn.”
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That process, he believes, is where coaching truly begins. “Coaching is about giving your players an advantage,” Witten said. “Teaching them the techniques, the scheme and the mentality it takes to be successful week after week.” Now at Oklahoma, Witten gets the chance to do exactly that.
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