Brian Bosworth doesn’t hand out praise lightly, and when the Oklahoma legend speaks up about a linebacker, people listen.
That’s exactly what happened after OU commit Cooper Witten turned in a huge Friday night performance for Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. Witten, who plays both ways right now, piled up 20 tackles, recovered a fumble and blocked a field goal on defense. He also chipped in 104 receiving yards and two touchdowns on offense in the game against Prestonwood Christian.
The soon-to-be Sooner will eventually settle in at linebacker under Brent Venables, the same position Bosworth made his name playing in Norman. For now, though, Witten keeps flashing the kind of all-around game that has made him one of the most talked-about recruits in the 2027 class.
Bosworth certainly noticed. Responding on X to a post about Witten, he wrote: "This dude is a ball hawk. Speed, violent, can see fast and react faster."
Witten’s profile has been building for years, and the buzz only grows louder because of the name on his jersey. He is the son of Oklahoma tight ends coach and future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Witten, who coached him before this season and is now set to welcome him to Norman.
At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Witten is ranked by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 3 athlete in the 2027 class, the No. 33 player overall and the No. 3 prospect in Texas. He was long considered a major target, with Oklahoma in his top 10 as early as November before his dad joined the Sooners’ staff the following January.
His final group of 10 also included Texas, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas Tech, Georgia, Alabama, Texas A&M and Tennessee, where Jason Witten played his college football. Cooper ultimately committed to Oklahoma in March.
The Sooners were in on him early, and once Jason Witten arrived in Norman, the fit became obvious. Oklahoma fans had every reason to start imagining the family connection taking shape, and Jason Witten has already given the program a major boost in Year 1. His tight end room has become perhaps the lone bright spot on an offense that has struggled to find its footing.
Now Cooper Witten is carrying the family name toward Norman with the kind of momentum that keeps adding up. And with Bosworth’s stamp of approval, the hype around the next Witten to arrive at Oklahoma only got stronger.
In Other News...
Oklahomas Early Losses Are Raising An Even Bigger 2026 Fear
The early part of Oklahomas 2026 season already looked shaky, and it has only gotten harder to frame those losses in a flattering way. The Sooners lone notable win was a shutout of UTEP, but that result has lost some shine as the Miners have continued to struggle and have been beaten by wide margins on average.
More troubling for Oklahoma is what the rest of the schedule is saying about those defeats to Michigan, Georgia and New Mexico. As those teams have shown their own flaws since facing the Sooners, the concern around Norman is not just about a rough start, but about what those games might be revealing about Oklahomas level of competitiveness this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Arbuckle May Need A Drastic OU Offensive Rethink
Josh Heupel showed against Auburn that an in-game reset can change the feel of an offense in a hurry. Tennessee moved away from freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, turned to sophomore George MacIntyre to steady the operation and leaned heavily on DeSean Bishop as the running game took over. It was the kind of practical adjustment that can make a staff look decisive in real time, especially when the original plan is not producing much rhythm.
For Oklahoma, that kind of flexibility is the conversation point around Ben Arbuckle. John Mateers struggles have left the Sooners searching for a cleaner path on offense, and the Tennessee example is a reminder that a coordinator sometimes has to be willing to reshape the plan instead of waiting for it to click on its own. Whether Arbuckle goes that far is the unanswered question, but the pressure to find something more workable is only growing. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas Biggest Red River Problem Could Decide Everything
When Oklahoma heads into the Red River showdown with Texas, the rushing battle looms as one of the clearest indicators of which side will control the afternoon. History in this rivalry has leaned heavily toward the team that runs the ball better, and that makes the Sooners ground game a central concern after recent struggles on both sides of the line.
John Mateer gives Oklahoma a different kind of answer because his legs can change the math even when the traditional run game is stuck. Against a Texas defense that has been stout enough to make every yard work, the Sooners may need Mateers scrambling and designed runs to keep the offense balanced and give themselves a chance to win the most important matchup on the field. [Read more 🡒]