Who will be calling plays for the Oklahoma Sooners offense? Firing Ben Arbuckle leaves OU with an intriguing interim option
The Oklahoma Sooners will need a new play caller and interim offensive coordinator now that Ben Arbuckle is fired, and it will be Jason Witten.
Oklahoma Sooners have fired Ben Arbuckle and now need to name an interim offensive coordinator and playcaller. Multiple reports say the Sooners are parting ways with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
This outcome seemed inevitable. Under Arbuckle’s leadership, the offense has struggled for two seasons. The players he recruited have largely underperformed, and the offensive line has been ineffective. With few exceptions, the skill players have struggled, the running game has been lackluster, and quarterback John Mateer has faced significant challenges.
So, with Ben Arbuckle gone, who will call the shots for OU? And who is going to be the interim offensive coordinator? The Sooners will likely make Jason Witten the interim OC. The Hall of Fame TE and Sooners TE coach is a brilliant mind in the sport. Although he’s never called plays at the college level.
He is expected to be the playcaller with help from offensive analyst Kevin Wilson, who has experience as a head coach and play-caller. In a way, this feels like a tryout or audition for the now-open OC job that OU will try to fill this offseason. If Witten is good, they could find the next brilliant mind in the sport.
Sooners’ former OC Ben Arbuckle knew he wasn’t delivering; now Jason Witten has to
Ben Arbuckle talked about the pressure and such of being a coach for OU. He knew this could happen if the results didn’t show.
“The amazing thing about this place, this job, and this league that you play in is that you have to bring your best,” Arbuckle said days ago. “You have to. Every single week, there’s no sugarcoating it, there ain’t no hiding from it. You gotta be your best, you gotta deliver your best, you gotta bring your best.
“That’s in game-plan, that’s in coaching, that’s in mentoring young men. You have to be your best in everything. That’s what it demands; that’s what it entails. And that’s ultimately what leads to success. And so in a year and a half, that’s the biggest thing [I’ve learned]: bring your best. Do it every single day.”
