Jason Witten’s collegiate play-calling debut came ahead of schedule, but still felt like the culmination of a long journey in a decorated football life. 

Witten’s first chapter in the sport — a legendary playing career that saw him retire as one of the best to ever play tight end — spanned 17 seasons in the NFL alone. 

He knew he wasn’t ready to step away from the sport that he loves, but Witten did take a humble first step into coaching. 

Witten took over for five seasons at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. 

“I was starting (in coaching) a little late because I played so long,” Witten said after the Sooners’ 23-7 triumph over Florida last Saturday. “And then I took a little time to coach my kids. Those are years that I will always cherish. I was afforded the opportunity after a long NFL career to kind of take my time as I went into it.”

Witten was able to gain valuable coaching experience while staying present for an important period in the lives of his kids. 

But his time at Liberty Christian School also took him back to the beginning of his career. 

“One of the things I learned through coaching high school football was (that) NFL football's amazing,” Witten said. “It really is and it changed my life and my kid's lives in a lot of ways. But coaching high school football reminded me of why I fell in love with football. It was about the relationships and the lessons you learn through the game of football.”

As he looked to take the next step in his coaching career, Witten believed he had valuable experience he could bring to college football as the sport itself grapples with a changing model. 

“The landscape of college football is changing, but they still need mentorship,” Witten said. “They're 18 to 23 years old. They need mentors. They need people to invest in them. Show them the way. I felt like I was equipped to be a strong voice in that. More of the NFL game is coming ot college, and so there's a business aspect of course. Handling that, we all want a little bit more money and all that. 

“But that doesn't make them a bad person. And how do you navigate that. I felt like I was well equipped to that to handle that.”

Though he didn’t imagine taking over as interim offensive coordinator in his ninth game with the program, Witten and Brent Venables did talk about his goals and ambitions throughout his interview process with Oklahoma. 

“Early on, he talked about that,” Wittens said. “I told him, I mean when he was hiring me as a tight ends coach that like anybody, I had goals and aspirations as a coach.”

Witten worked around plenty of offensive minds through his years in Dallas and Las Vegas, and though he’s taken those experiences to heart, he’s still an old-school guy at his core. 

“What allowed you to win 50 years ago still allows you to win today in football,” Witten said. “So it's been great being the tight ends coach and when Coach Venables — just I have so much appreciation for him to in a short amount of time to trust me and believe in me.”

As the clock wound down deep into the Florida night on Saturday, Witten’s tight ends doused him in a Gatorade bath for helping the Sooners notch the win. 

Witten was the first to say there’s plenty of improvement his unit still has to make over the next three weeks. 

But he’ll remember that night in Gainesville for years to come. 

“Tonight was pretty special,” he said. “All the years I’ve been around football, maybe the greatest moment I had.”