Star on the rise: Cowboys' Dak Prescott feels Jason Witten could 'absolutely' be an NFL head coach

Dallas' future Hall of Fame tight end has risen quickly from being a Texas high school head coach to being the interim offensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma

Nov 13, 2026 at 2:09 pm ET • 2 min read

FRISCO, Texas -- How does Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Witten sound?

That's certainly a number of years away, but the Cowboys' future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end's ascent up football's coaching ladder has been quick. After his NFL retirement following the 2020 season, Witten took the head coaching job at Liberty Christian School in Argyle, Texas. Just a few years later, he led the Texas private school to back-to-back Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) state championships in 2023 and 2024. Those were the school's first consecutive football state titles. 

In January of 2026, Witten ascended to the college ranks as the Sooners' tight ends coach. Oklahoma promoted him to the role of interim offensive coordinator after firing Ben Arbuckle on Nov. 2. In his debut as Oklahoma's play caller, the Sooners upset the 24th-ranked Florida Gators in a 23-7 road win. 

So could he be an NFL head coach one day? Cowboys four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott "absolutely" thinks that could be in Witten's future. 

"Absolutely, if that's what he wants to do," Prescott said after practice on Thursday. "I think there's a big difference between high school, college and NFL and what coaches are asked to do and what coaches are trying to accomplish. But if that's what he wants, then absolutely." 

Eleven seasons into his NFL career, Prescott is now the undisputed locker room leader in Dallas. However, when the now-33-year-old kicked off his career as a fourth-round rookie filling in for Tony Romo, Witten was one of the Cowboys' locker room leaders who empowered him. That's why he isn't surprised by Witten's ascent. 

"Not surprised by anything he's done, just knowing that football runs in Witt's veins, and that he'd be a coach and good at it," Prescott said. "Seeing his climb happen so fast in a sense from a high school coach to being the tight ends coach to being a coordinator by the end of the year. Understanding that might get him a coordinator job next year either at Oklahoma or a head coaching job somewhere else. He's a guy that I followed and understood what he was trying to get done, whether it be the offense or the whole team, and a guy that was doing it the right way. I know that from the time I spent with him and the man that he is."

Witten went viral for chewing out one of his Oklahoma wide receivers for running the wrong route on Saturday night in The Swamp. Did he ever chew Prescott out as a rookie?

"No, I don't think I got any of the chew-outs. I got maybe some silent treatments here or there between plays or something if I didn't throw it his way. I know he thought he was open. He didn't chew me out. He understands that I'm just as pissed at myself."

If Witten's Sooners can consistently replicate their initial success under Witten for the foreseeable future, it wouldn't be shocking to see Jerry and/or Stephen Jones give him a call.