Oklahoma fires OC Ben Arbuckle, hands play-calling to Jason Witten before Florida trip

Oklahoma has fired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle midway through his second season. Tight ends coach Jason Witten will serve as interim coordinator and call plays for the last four games of the regular season. The school confirmed the move Monday, two days after a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina dropped the Sooners to 4-4, ESPN reported.

This is the second time Brent Venables has fired an offensive coordinator during a season. He let Seth Littrell go seven games into 2024 and then hired Arbuckle, who had run one of the most productive offenses in the country at Washington State. Quarterback John Mateer followed him to Norman. The pairing has not held up. ESPN notes that Oklahoma ranks next to last in the SEC in yards per game and in touchdowns, and that Mateer has thrown 21 touchdowns against 15 interceptions since the thumb injury he suffered last season. Yahoo Sports puts the Sooners 111th in FBS in total offense. Venables explained the decision in a statement carried by Yahoo: "We need a change." Arbuckle had been earning $1.5 million a year on a three-year deal, according to ESPN.

Witten, the 11-time Pro Bowl tight end, is in his first year coaching in college. He came to Oklahoma after five seasons as head coach at Liberty Christian in Argyle, Texas, where he won state titles in 2023 and 2024. News On 6 points out that his position group has already caught five touchdown passes this fall, after Oklahoma's tight ends caught one in all of 2025. Whoever gets the job permanently will be Venables' fifth offensive coordinator.

What it means for Florida

Witten's first game calling plays is Saturday at No. 25 Florida on SEC Network, and Oklahoma's numbers show what he is taking on. The Sooners are scoring 22.0 points per game. In five SEC games that falls to about 20, and they have scored 13 points twice: in the 41-13 loss at Georgia and the 21-13 home loss to Kentucky. The high points came on defense. They held Mississippi State to 15 and beat then-No. 1 Texas 27-24. The South Carolina game turned that around, with Oklahoma giving up 42 at home while the offense once again failed to keep up.

Florida also beat Texas by three points, but the Gators lost 38-19 at home to the same South Carolina team that just beat Oklahoma. Oklahoma has to win two of its last four games to reach a bowl, so a road loss here would leave very little room.

The board has Florida favored by 6.5 at Novig, at -104, with the Gators -217 on the moneyline and Oklahoma +213. The 12 venues are a point apart on the spread. BetRivers has the lowest Florida number at -5.5, priced at -122. The total sits at 45.5 on Novig, and Fanatics has the high number at 46. That total looks like a market that does not expect a new play caller to change much in his first week.