Oklahoma’s Jaren Kanak Explains His Move to Tight End and His Love for the Sooners
NORMAN — Jaren Kanak’s decision to move from linebacker to tight end wasn’t one he took lightly.
The senior worked for three years to learn the defensive side of the ball after starring all over the field on offense for his high school in Hays, KS.
In three years, he totaled 103 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks at both linebacker and on special teams. He forced two fumbles and recovered a pair of fumbles, returning one for a touchdown last year, but Kanak also found himself stuck on the depth chart behind Danny Stutsman, Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie.
So after plenty of thought and prayer, he proposed a change to the coaches.
“The thing about me is I never want to look back and have regret that I didn’t put all my cards and do all that I could,” Kanak said after OU’s practice on Monday. “Having that struggle at defense. Not finding that niche, not finding that spot. Never really clicked. I had an exit interview with Coach (Brent) Venables and Coach (Zac) Alley before Coach Alley went where he is now. We sat down and talked about it and came to a point like, yeah, man, it can be one of those things. I can be up at the facility for every hour of the day and love it as much as I do. But it’s like if it’s natural, it’s not natural.
“I would have needed to be doing it for a decade to be natural. I felt like I was always a step behind. I always like to think I could give more, but I like to say that I genuinely put as much as I could in becoming a linebacker.
“… I’ve been an offensive guy my whole life. Getting this opportunity now to do that again, catch balls and have fun and block and all that stuff. It’s a great opportunity.”
Kanak didn’t want to give up, not on the coaching staff or on himself, but he eventually decided switching sides of the ball was the path forward.
“I probably didn’t start thinking about it real seriously until this last year because it almost felt like if I would have done it in the first few years that’s like giving up,” Kanak said. “I wanted to be able to maximize and say that I fully actually gave the linebacker thing a shot. And I feel like — it’s just like anything. If you’re working toward something hard or trying a new position you’re going to have struggles.
“So it was the battle between trying to decide are these the bumps and bruises that come along with becoming a great player at linebacker or is this God telling me this is not where I’m supposed to be.”
So often in today’s college football landscape, getting stuck down the depth chart can be enough to focus players’ minds on the transfer portal.
Changing positions is a new challenge all together, one that could also pair nicely with a change of scenery, but there wasn’t any chance Kanak was going to leave Norman if the coaching staff would have him.
“I’ve given so much to this program and built these relationships for three years now,” he said. “I just have such tight ties and such a deep love for what it means to be a Sooner. What it means to play football here.
“… There’s a real culture here. There’s a real want and a grittiness to win and do all the things the right way. Have these tough, challenging processes and put that work in. And I think that’s just that mentality that comes with being an Oklahoma Sooner, which I just love. I love that s—. I couldn’t even think about going anywhere else. I’d be here for free, you know what I mean? I love playing football in this stadium for this head coach, for all these coaches.”
