Sooners to promote Joe Jon Finley to co-OC position alongside Seth Littrell
OUInsider has confirmed that in the wake of Jeff Lebby's departure, tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley and off-field analyst Seth Littrell will serve as co-offensive coordinators for Oklahoma, with Littrell expected to coach quarterbacks and Finley maintaining his role with tight ends.
OUInsider had reported to members Sunday night that Littrell and Finley were the two top candidates to fill Lebby's shoes, and in the end, the Sooners didn't have to choose between the two.
Finley, 38, is a former Oklahoma tight end who began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater back in 2012. After serving as a graduate assistant in Norman for two years, he coached offensive line at Los Fresnos High School in Texas for one season, then joined Art Briles' staff at Baylor in 2015 as a quality control analyst. There, he reunited with Lebby, with whom he had overlapped during their undergrad days at Oklahoma. After one season in Waco, he joined the Missouri staff as tight ends coach, where he served from 2016-18. He held the same position at Texas A&M in 2019, then joined forces with Lebby at Ole Miss for the 2020 season. He coached tight ends and served as the Rebels' passing game coordinator before returning to Oklahoma in 2021 as tight ends coach, where he also assumed the title of associate head coach for offense.
He was primarily responsible for one of Oklahoma's biggest recruiting adds in the 2024 cycle, as he led the charge in the Sooners' pursuit of four-star tight end Davon Mitchell.
Littrell, 45, is a seasoned coaching veteran who also played at Oklahoma. He was a member of the Sooners' 2000 national title team as a fullback before beginning his coaching career at Kansas in 2002. After three seasons as a graduate assistant in Lawrence, he coached running backs at Texas Tech (2005-08) before joining Arizona's staff in 2009. Over the next three seasons, he coached running backs and tight ends, and took over as the program's offensive coordinator in 2011. From 2012-13, he served as offensive coordinator at Indiana while also coaching fullbacks and tight ends. A two-year stint as offensive coordinator at North Carolina preceded his seven-year tenure as head coach at North Texas, where he compiled a record of 44-44 from 2016-22. He joined Oklahoma's staff this past offseason as an offensive analyst.
Though he's never coached quarterbacks before, there's reason to believe that Littrell will be capable of handling his new responsibility. Under Littrell's guidance, North Texas quarterback and Oklahoma native Mason Fine rewrote the passing chapter of the school's record book, and won consecutive Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2017 and 2018.
Stay tuned to OUInsider.com for more coverage as reaction to Littrell and Finley's respective promotions pours in.
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