The Oklahoma Sooners made major changes this offseason to help improve their offense after making the College Football Playoff, despite having one of the worst units in college football. One of the biggest changes happened to the tight end room.

There is no sugarcoating it; the tight end room has been a liability the last few seasons. So, Brent Venables parted ways with coach Joe Jon Finley and hired legendary former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. They then revamped the room by adding Florida Gators transfer Hayden Hansen, Colorado State transfer Rocky Beers and Tennessee Volunteers Jack Van Dorselaer.

Hansen and Beers have gotten most of the buzz, but former Sooner standouts Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman said Dorselaer has been the one who’s impressed them the most.

“If you asked me who is their best all-around tight end, it’s No. 88,” Ikard said on ‘The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman.’ “Fun guy to watch.”

“It’s like the perfect mix of three guys, right?” Lehman added. “Hayden Hansen is your big physical blocker… Rocky Beers is your route runner… and Van Dorselaer, kind of the mixture of both.”

Witten’s presence could be the biggest factor of all. Oklahoma didn’t simply add three transfers to the position; it also brought in one of the most accomplished tight ends in football history to develop them.

If Van Dorselaer’s emergence is any indication, Witten’s influence could already be showing. Oklahoma needs its tight ends to become legitimate contributors in both the passing and running game. If that happens, the Sooners could have a much more balanced offense in 2026, and a position that was once a liability could suddenly become one of the team’s biggest strengths.

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