Oklahoma continued a hot run of recruiting in the 2027 cycle on Tuesday with a commitment from four-star outside linebacker Cooper Witten, the son of former NFL All-Pro Jason Witten.
Witten, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound defender at Texas’ Liberty Christian School, is ESPN’s No. 2 outside 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, landing as the second-ranked of seven SC Next 300 prospects committed to the Sooners’ 2027 class.
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Witten’s pledge lands less than two months after Oklahoma coach Brent Venables hired Jason Witten to be the program’s next tight ends coach on Jan. 8. An 11-time Pro Bowler across 17 NFL seasons from 2003-20, the elder Witten joined the Sooners’ staff after five seasons as head coach at Liberty Christian, where he led the school to back-to-back state titles in 2023 and 2024.
The younger Witten is an instinctive defender who projects as a positionally versatile talent at the next level. The No. 4 overall prospect in the state of Texas, he’s been credited with 214 tackles across 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 is set to 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 pledge within a star-studded Sooners recruiting class in 2027, which now includes more SC Next 300 pledges (7) than any program across the country outside of Texas A&M (9), as things stand.
Oklahoma hoovered up elite 2027 talent during the 2025 regular season last fall when the program added commitments from 10 recruits, including Hackett, defensive end Krew Jones (No. 46), wide receiver Demare Dezeurn (No. 85), offensive guard Kaeden Penny (No. 92) and defensive tackle Elija Harmon (No. 173). Between Witten and No. 1 inside linebacker Taven Epps, the Sooners now hold pledges from two of ESPN’s top 7 linebacker prospects in the cycle.
Oklahoma, which made its first College Football Playoff appearance since 2019 last fall, signed ESPN’s No. 17 overall recruiting class in the 2026 cycle in December.
