Surprise offseason move could pay dividends for Oklahoma Sooners in revamped offense for 2025 season
When the Oklahoma Sooners announced their decision to move linebacker Jaren Kanak over to the offense at tight end, the decision was met with plenty of skepticism and concern over the state of the tight end room. Given how poor the room played in 2024, many fans were hoping that the biggest change to the […]
When the Oklahoma Sooners announced their decision to move linebacker Jaren Kanak over to the offense at tight end, the decision was met with plenty of skepticism and concern over the state of the tight end room. Given how poor the room played in 2024, many fans were hoping that the biggest change to the room would be more than converting over a linebacker to offense.
Yet, it seems like the move is starting to pay off for the Sooners, as Kanak has been a surprise highlight throughout the spring for the team. His athleticism as a former track star was always evident on the field, and it's begun to translate on offense with the ball in his hand.
Lest we forget how unbelievable Kanak is as an athlete. As a junior weighing ~200 pounds, Kanak ran a 10.37 in the 100M and a 22.06 in the 200M. There's an argument to be made that Kanak is pound-for-pound the best pure athlete on the Sooners' roster.
Where this gets interesting is if Kanak's emergence here prevents the Sooners from taking steps into adding to the room in the spring transfer portal window. The team has spoken about being aggressive in the spring portal to pursue the talents they think can help out as they push to rebound in 2025.
Personally, I think the team should still invest here if they can, as there's very little proven depth at the spot and having a proven player here can provide some insurance in case Kanak's switch doesn't translate during live games.
However, it's not an overly important position in new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle's offense, and the Sooners have plenty of wide receivers who can help shoulder the load in the passing game.
Regardless of the Sooners' future moves, it's pretty remarkable that such a random move has caught fire so quickly in the spring. It is still very early so there shouldn't be any expectations just yet, but it is a move to keep an eye on as the offseason continues.
