Sooners Welcome Home Joe Jon Finley As Associate Head Coach
The Oklahoma football program has hired former Sooner and NFL tight end Joe Jon Finley as associate head coach for offense. Finley will coach tight ends and H-backs and according to the press release, he will play a key role in overseeing elements of the Sooners’ special teams.
The Oklahoma Sooners have found their replacement for Shane Beamer, who left to become the head coach at South Carolina.
Finley returns to Norman after coaching at Mississippi, Texas A&M and Missouri the previous five seasons. He graduated Oklahoma in 2008.
In a statement, Lincoln Riley said, “We’re excited to welcome Joe Jon and his family back to Norman. He obviously had a great playing career and has established himself as one of the top tight end coaches in the country. He’s had great experience working for several tremendous programs and I know he’s going to bring a lot to ours. We’re thrilled to welcome him back and can’t wait for him to get started.”
Most recently, Finley was the passing game coordinator and tight ends coach at Ole Miss in 2020 under Lane Kiffin. Ole Miss ranked third in the nation total offense (555.5 ypg), No. 5 in passing efficiency rating (178.7), No. 7 in passing offense (344.9 ypg), No. 10 in yards per play (7.0), and No. 14 in scoring offense (39.2 ppg).
In his statement, Finley said, “Oklahoma’s my alma mater, it’s where I met my wife and where I started my coaching career, so obviously it’s a special place to my family,” said the 35-year-old Finley. “I look forward to working with great coaches, great players and great support from Sooner Nation. I can’t thank [Athletics Director] Joe Castiglione and Coach Riley enough for bringing me back home. Boomer Sooner!”
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