It’s time for the Oklahoma Sooners to pull the plug on a longtime offensive assistant if they want to fix their rushing attack
Oklahoma’s tight ends are in embarrassing states, and change has to come-and soon-if the Sooners want to fix it.
I’m normally hesitant to call for a coach to outright lose their job. It’s a tough industry with plenty of variables that are completely out of the coach’s control, and sometimes the results don’t match the process because of dozens of other factors affecting the game. I understand the nature of the industry and how difficult it is to sustain success. However, I’ve finally reached that point with one Oklahoma Sooners‘ offensive assistant coach — one who has been here a long time.
I am, of course, referring to tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley. It’s time to move on and find someone who can actually coach this position and find talent instead of the complete zero that Oklahoma’s tight end room has been.
At this point of the season, the Sooners can’t do much to fix the woes of their. However, if they want to fix it moving forward, this is the only move they have left. He has had enough of a leash.
Enough is Enough for Joe Jon Finley
I can’t say for certain what goes on in the tight end room; I can only look at the film. What the film tells me is that the state of the Sooners’ tight ends is in embarrassing shape. There is a lack of fundamentals and talent. To make matters worse, it’s been a repeated problem for years.
Oklahoma’s run game has mainly been attributed to the offensive line. After all, it’s easy for casual viewers to look at the run game struggling and say “Yeah, it’s the o-line’s fault” because they don’t understand blocking. And that’s OK, it’s a tricky thing to pick up live. Yet, I can promise you, it’s not the offensive line’s fault. At least, mostly not.
The tight end room is completely unplayable. Even with Jaren Kanak’s prowess as a receiver, the room is at best a zero on the field and, at worst, completely derails Oklahoma’s offense from down to down.
It doesn’t matter what Oklahoma offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle tries to run. Time and time again, the tight ends are whiffing the blocks or getting blocked right into the path of the runner. Texas steamrolled everyone in the room, shutting down any hopes the Sooners had of mustering anything on the ground.
Over and over and over again, a tight end lost his battle or blew his assignment. Where is the coaching? How is every player in a room completely messing up his assignment every time? It’s a complete disaster.
It’s getting to an embarrassing point for Oklahoma, and it’s a problem that has persisted for years. Ever since Finley took over the tight end room in 2021 (as an aside, why is a Lincoln Riley hire still in Norman?), the talent and production have dropped year-over-year, and the bottom has finally fallen out.
If Kanak, who converted from linebacker this offseason, didn’t look as good as he has as a receiver, there would be absolutely zero reason to play any of these tight ends. Finley lucked into a position convert being an excellent athlete. None of the other players has shown anything that should be the standard at Oklahoma. I’m loath to say Oklahoma should just live in 4WR sets, but at this point, it might as well. That room is several leagues more talented than its tight end room.
At this point in the season, I don’t think there’s anything you can do to salvage this room. There’s just a dearth of talent at the position, and it’s been that way for years. A school that has long produced playmakers at tight end has been reduced to taking in talent from Pittsburg State and Kennesaw State because nobody else would come here. It’s sad, and there’s no reason for this to continue. Change has to come.
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