Vols legend Jason Witten is causing some real problems for Josh Heupel and Tennessee football
Legendary Tennessee Volunteers tight end Jason Witten joined an SEC rival earlier this offseason, landing on the Oklahoma Sooners’ coaching staff under head coach Brent Venables.
Tennessee Vols legend Jason Witten hasn’t helped his alma mater out this spring.
In fact, he’s done the exact opposite.
Witten joined the Oklahoma Sooners’ coaching staff as the program’s new tight ends coach in January.
Two months later, Witten’s son — 2027 five-star linebacker Cooper Witten — committed to Oklahoma.
Cooper was one of the Vols’ top recruiting targets before he committed to the Sooners.
Jason Witten is steering another 2027 recruit away from Tennessee
Cooper Witten isn’t the only 2027 recruit who could end up at Oklahoma instead of Tennessee because of Jason Witten.
The Vols are one of the programs recruiting 2027 four-star tight end Ben Kolar, 6-foot-3/225 pounds from Norman, OK.
On3’s Sam Spiegelman noted this week that Tennessee is “swinging away” for Kolar, but it’s Oklahoma, thanks to Witten, that’s best positioned to land the talented tight end.
“Oklahoma has been setting the pace in four-star tight end Ben Kolar‘s recruitment throughout the fall,” wrote Spiegelman. “The addition of position coach Jason Witten has bolstered the Sooners’ standing this spring. Kolar was back on campus for a spring practice and the spring game, and has received multiple visits from Witten, who has meshed well with the local target from Norman (Okla.) North. Stanford, Auburn, and Tennessee are all swinging away for Kolar.”
Witten will always be loved by Tennessee fans for what he accomplished on Rocky Top and in the NFL. But right now, he’s a massive thorn in the side of the Volunteers.
Phillip Fulmer thinks Jason Witten will be a head coach one day
It’s still early in Witten’s college football coaching career, but Phillip Fulmer, his former head coach at Tennessee, believes the former Vol will eventually be a head coach.
“When I coached Jason, I saw a great person who wanted to learn everything as quickly as he could. I think that has never left him,” said Fulmer to On3 in February. “He really wants to listen and learn, and he knows his responsibilities: relationships on campus, the academic side, and probably more than anything, the recruiting side, because he has a great personality and is a super, super person. Those things will matter to him. At the end of the day, coaching is a lot about relationships and a lot of effort. He’ll do both of those things really well.”
“I don’t think there’s any question that he’ll be a head coach,” added Fulmer.