New Position, New Purpose, Same Kanak

This story appears in the Nov. 29 LSU game program. Click here to purchase a souvenir copy.

B efore he became one of the SEC's most productive tight ends and one of the nation's most surprising offensive stories, before the viral dog photos and the merchandise and the jokes, before the revitalization of confidence and joy, Oklahoma's Jaren Kanak had to confront something that most college athletes spend four or five years trying to outrun.

Honesty.

"I just wasn't getting any better," Kanak said, reflecting on his three seasons at linebacker. "I wasn't comfortable. I always felt out of place. I didn't want to look back on my last year and regret not trying offense. So, I prayed on it, thought on it. And eventually I just knew that's where God was pulling me."

It's rare for a fourth-year player to switch positions. Rarer still to do it after spending three years learning one of college football's most complex defensive systems. But almost unheard of is what Kanak has done since.

Through the Sooners' first three games of 2025, Kanak led the team with 245 receiving yards, ranking first among SEC tight ends, top 10 overall in the SEC, first nationally among all tight ends and inside the top 40 nationally among all receivers.

He isn't just adjusting to tight end. He's redefining it.

"It just feels natural," Kanak said with a shrug, like he's talking about learning to juggle four balls or handstand walk – both real skills of his. "Offense is what I've done my whole life. It finally feels like this is where I'm supposed to be."

Kanak, Action

Jaren Kanak played linebacker his first three years before converting to tight end in the spring. The former high school receiver and quarterback has 34 catches for 457 yards through 11 games.

K anak is quick to admit what his linebacker résumé actually was in high school.

"I didn't play any defense," he said. "Not a snap. I was an offensive guy my whole life."

But college projections work differently. In small-town Kansas, Kanak dominated offensively because he was simply better than most everyone he lined up against. Recruiting analysts saw the speed, the frame, the explosiveness – and assumed his best long-term ceiling was on defense.

Kanak agreed, at least enough to follow Brent Venables. He was originally committed to Venables at Clemson, and when the defensive coordinator took the Oklahoma job, Kanak followed, convinced that if he was going to try linebacker, he wanted to learn it from the best defensive mind in the sport.

But something never clicked.

He flashed at times – including a 13-tackle performance in the 2023 Red River Rivalry – yet the comfort never came. Reads felt delayed. Instincts felt cloudy. Confidence wavered.

"I always felt behind," Kanak said. "Never knew when to run full speed, when to break down. I was always in the wrong spot."

By his junior season, playing time faded further, and the questions grew louder.

Was this really how his OU career would end?

"I didn't want to regret my last year," he said. "I love this place too much to not give everything I have."

So he walked into the coaches' offices after the season and delivered his truth: he wanted to move to tight end.

Venables was supportive, though honest – he believed Kanak still could have become a great linebacker. But he also believed in his player's desire to chase the path that finally felt right.

The switch was approved. The real work began.

To understand Kanak's breakout, you have to understand the part nobody saw.

"Up here 16 hours a day in the offseason," he said. "Learning the offense again. Learning techniques. Learning the playbook. Just doing everything I could to put myself in a position to help the team win."

Even with Kanak's natural feel for offense, the fundamentals of tight end – the footwork, leverage, pad level, inline blocking, route pacing – required a full reboot.

That meant help. And help came fast.

Veteran tight end Will Huggins became Kanak's personal encyclopedia. "He's in his 10th year of college football – he's so old," Kanak joked, "but he has so much wisdom to offer."

Kaden Helms, another resource in the tight end room, became a teacher as well – offering concepts, technique tips and encouragement.

"Jaren worked every single day," Helms said. "Even if he didn't understand a technique, he'd just keep grinding. I'm proud of him."

Quarterback John Mateer helped Kanak understand spacing, timing, and the spots they needed him to occupy. The tight end room welcomed him. The offensive staff created a clear developmental path.

And slowly, something changed.

For the first time in college, football felt natural.

"From the moment I switched, it flowed better," Kanak said. "I had instincts again. It just made sense."

Ironically, the linebacker experience that made him feel lost for three years turned out to be Kanak's greatest advantage.

"When you're in a Brent Venables defense, you learn everything," Kanak said. "You learn concepts. You learn how every piece fits. You learn what offenses do to try and mess you up."

Now, he uses that knowledge in reverse.

He recognizes coverage disguises quickly. He understands linebacker leverage. He processes rotations pre-and post-snap and finds the soft spots instinctively.

It's part of why Oklahoma's staff felt confident in elevating his role so quickly. What he lacked in technical polish, he made up for in football IQ.

"He's just got this renewed spirit," teammate Owen Heinecke said. "The switch gave him his joy back."

That joy, teammates say, is contagious.

"When one person brings that energy, it spreads," Heinecke said. "Jaren brings it every day."

Leadership is imperative in college football. It's loudest from those on the field.

And Kanak knew it.

"When you're a third-string linebacker, it's hard to be a leader," he said. "Guys look to the ones who are out there fighting with them."

But on the cusp of his senior season, after years of helping build the program's culture, he wanted to lead from the front.

The move to offense wasn't just about playing time – that narrative is far too shallow. It was about purpose.

"I want people to see how much I love this university," Kanak said. "I want to help us win. And I wasn't helping us win on defense."

He doesn't consider himself a rah-rah guy. Doesn't need speeches. Instead, he prefers to lead by example – through work ethic, consistency and authenticity.

Helms sees it clearly.

"He took the leadership skills he learned watching Danny Stutsman," Helms said, "and he's carried them to the offensive side. He lets people know what he wants from them. That's what great leaders do."

Of course, no story about 2025 Jaren Kanak is complete without the breakout star living rent-free in the hearts of Sooner Nation: Burger.

Burger is light-brown and white, long as a hot-dog bun, almost always in a crimson jersey and gold chain – and the inspiration behind viral media-day photos where Kanak posed with the dachshund.

Behind the humor is something warmer – teammates say Burger has become part of the tight end room's personality. And part of Kanak's, too.

"(Jaren) just has so many little hobbies and quirks," Heinecke said. "He made an origami swan out of a gum wrapper my first year here during a team meeting. That's just who he is. Burger fits right in with that."

That mix of goofiness and loyalty shows up everywhere. Kanak can juggle up to four balls. He can handstand walk across a locker room. He's good at art. Curious about everything. Reliable in everything that matters.

"He's the same person every day," Helms said. "Good day, bad day, whatever – he's consistent. That's someone you want to be around."

When Kanak thinks about how he wants people to tell his story someday, he doesn't mention stats or position switches or viral photos. Or even Burger.

He talks about love.

"I hope people see how much I love OU," he said. "And that I did everything I could to help us win."

He paused – the quiet kind of pause you get from someone who has learned something about himself.

"It's a bit of a selfish thing. transitioning to offense, but the reason that I did it was to put myself in a position to lead and be able to help this team succeed," Kanak said. "It just feels like this is where I was meant to be."

From linebacker to tight end, from frustration to joy, from uncertainty to fulfillment – and with a dachshund named Burger riding shotgun the whole way – Jaren Kanak's reinvention isn't just one of the most compelling stories in college football this season. It's a story of a player finally finding the role, and the place, where his heart feels like it fits.