Jason Witten’s son Cooper, a 4-star OLB recruit, chose Oklahoma

Oklahoma continued a hot recruiting run in the 2027 cycle on Tuesday with the commitment of four-star outside linebacker Cooper Witten, son of former NFL All-Pro Jason Witten.

Witten, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound defender from Liberty Christian School in Texas, is ESPN’s No. 2 linebacker and No. 30 overall recruit in the 2027 cycle. He announced his commitment to the Sooners over Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M via social media, ranking second among seven SC Next 300 prospects committed in the Sooners’ 2027 class.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables hired Jason Witten as the program’s next tight ends coach on Jan. 8, less than two months after Witten’s commitment. An 11-time Pro Bowler spanning 17 NFL seasons from 2003-20, the elder Witten joins the Sooners’ head staff, where he coached after five seasons at the Lieber School. Back-to-back state titles in 2023 and 2024.

The younger Witten is a natural defender who projects as a positionally versatile talent at the next level. The No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Texas, he was credited with 214 tackles over three varsity seasons, including 87 total tackles as a junior last fall. New Liberty Christian coach Josh Martin told the Dallas Morning News last month that Witten will remain with the program for his senior season in 2026, despite his father’s move to Oklahoma.

Witten joins four-star offensive tackle Cooper Hackett (No. 27 overall) as the second top 30 commitment in the star-studded Sooners recruiting class of 2027, which now includes more SC Next 300 commitments (7) than any program across the country outside of Texas A&M (9).

Oklahoma collected elite 2027 talent during the 2025 regular season last fall when the program added 10 recruiting commitments, including Hackett, defensive end Crew Jones (No. 46), wide receiver Demar Dejourne (No. 85), offensive guard Kaden Penny (Eli Penny 9). (No. 173). Between Witten and No. 1 linebacker Taven Epps, the Sooners now hold commitments from two of ESPN’s top 7 linebacker prospects in the cycle.

Oklahoma, which is making its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019, signed ESPN’s No. 17 overall recruiting class in the 2026 cycle in December.