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FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott said Thursday he is not surprised by anything Jason Witten has done in coaching, five days after his former Dallas Cowboys teammate called plays for the first time at Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Sooners beat the No. 24 Florida Gators 23-7 on Nov. 7 in Gainesville. Oklahoma scored on its first two drives, the first time it had done so since joining the SEC in 2024, and put together a 20-play touchdown drive.
Witten went from coaching high school football to calling plays in the SEC in less than a year.
“Yeah, no, not surprised by anything he’s done,” Prescott said. “No, just knowing the football runs in Witt’s veins, and that’s who he is. That he would definitely be a coach, and he’d be a good coach at it. And to see his climb happen, I guess so fast in a sense, right? Just from high school coaching and going and being the tight end coach, already being the coordinator by the end of the year, and understanding that’s going to get him a coordinator job next year, if not there in Oklahoma or a head coaching job somewhere else.”
“He’s a guy that I followed and that I understand what he’s trying to get done, whether it be the offense or whether it be the whole team, and a guy that’s going to do it the right way,” Prescott continued. “And just I know that from the time that I spent with him and the man that he is.”
Jason Witten Took Over Oklahoma’s Offense On Nov. 2
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables named Witten the Sooners’ interim offensive coordinator and play-caller on Nov. 2 after firing Ben Arbuckle. The move followed a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina on Oct. 31 that dropped Oklahoma to 4-4.
The appointment covers the rest of the 2026 season. On Tuesday, Venables said Witten could become the Sooners’ permanent play-caller, KOKH reported.
Witten joined Oklahoma as tight ends coach in January after five seasons as head coach at Liberty Christian in Argyle, where he won two state titles. He played 17 NFL seasons, 16 of them with Dallas, and finished with 1,228 catches for 13,046 yards and 74 touchdowns.
Witten was Prescott’s teammate in 2016, 2017, and 2019. As a rookie, Prescott learned how Witten reacted when he thought he was open and did not get the ball.
“No, I don’t think I got any of the chew outs,” Prescott explained. “I got some maybe some silent treatments here and there, in between plays or something. If I didn’t throw it his way, or he thought he was open, but he didn’t chew me out. He understands that I’m just as pissed at myself.”
Witten has never coached in the NFL, which Prescott said asks different things of a coach than high school or college.
“Absolutely, if that’s what he wants to do,” Prescott said. “I mean, I think it’s a big difference when you’re talking high school, college, and NFL, and what coaches are asked to do and what coaches are even trying to accomplish. But if that’s in his goals, absolutely.”
Dak Prescott On Leading As A Rookie
Prescott started all 16 games as a 2016 fourth-round pick in a locker room led by veterans such as Witten and linebacker Sean Lee.
“Early on, rookie year, and I think it’s some of those other leaders that you’re probably talking about of really telling me to be myself,” Prescott said. “It’s always kind of been in me, I guess, right, to lead people and want to be the voice. And so as a rookie, you’re just natural. Like, I’m gonna just get in where I fit in. Yeah, I know I’m the quarterback, but I’ve got Jason Witten and I’ve got Sean Lee. I’ve got these guys.”
“But when those guys elevate you and really allow you to step into that position that you want to be from day one,” Prescott continued. “I don’t know if I would have turned out to be the player that I am if I didn’t have those guys encouraging me to, no, don’t hold back. Like, I don’t care if you’re a rookie, you’re a guy, and we’re following you.”
Oklahoma plays Ole Miss next. The Cowboys (4-5) host the San Francisco 49ers (7-1) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.
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