Fall camp is rolling in Norman, and one of the more interesting spots on the Oklahoma roster is the tight end room. After a 10-win season in 2025 that ended with a trip to the College Football Playoff, the Sooners are trying to push from good to great under Brent Venables. That means every position is under the microscope, and tight end looks like one of the clearest examples of a group that has been rebuilt with a purpose.
Jason Witten is now coaching the room, and the makeover has been extensive. Oklahoma went into the offseason with a clear mission: add tight ends who can help in the run game, give the offense more flexibility, and provide a real presence in the passing game when the ball moves inside the numbers.
The top two names to watch are Hansen and Beers. Hansen, a Florida transfer, brings the kind of size Oklahoma has been looking for, along with a blocking presence that should be a step up from what the Sooners have had at the position in recent years. Beers, who came over from Colorado State, gives OU something else it lacked in 2025 - a reliable red-zone receiving threat.
Behind them, Van Dorselaer is the next man up. The Tennessee transfer has already turned heads and is in position to fight for snaps right away in his first season in Norman. At the same time, he also looks like a player who could become a major part of Oklahoma’s future at tight end, especially since he is younger than Hansen and Beers.
There’s a clear plan for how this group could fit into the offense. Witten and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle believe multiple-tight-end packages can be part of the weekly game plan, and that lines up with Venables’ push for Oklahoma to run the football much better in 2026. A big part of the roster building here centered on blocking, because that has been a weak point for the Sooners over the last three seasons.
Still, Oklahoma isn’t just looking for a mauler in the run game. The Sooners also want a tight end who can create problems as a pass catcher, especially someone with enough size to win over the middle and make life easier for the quarterback. That kind of player can change how an offense functions.
That’s the challenge for Witten: find one player, or a group of players, who can handle all the jobs this position now demands. Tight end has become a do-everything role in modern football, and Oklahoma has felt how much harder the offense can be when that spot isn’t giving enough back.
The Sooners think they’ve addressed it with Hansen, Beers and Van Dorselaer. Each brings something different to the table, and each has a path to helping this offense.
The question now is whether that talent shows up on Saturdays. If it does, Oklahoma’s offense has a real chance to take another step this fall.
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