Sources: Oklahoma fires OC Seth Littrell, tabs Joe Jon Finley

The Oklahoma Sooners have fired offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, sources confirmed to ESPN on Sunday amid multiple media reports.

Oklahoma is moving on from the first-year playcaller one day after the offense sputtered again in a 35-9 home loss to South Carolina.

Co-offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley will take over playcalling duties while analyst Kevin Johns, the former Duke offensive coordinator, has been promoted to quarterbacks coach, sources confirmed to ESPN.

The unranked Sooners, who are 1-3 in their SEC debut, head to Ole Miss in Week 9 ranked 128th nationally in total offense and 107th in scoring. They have 11 turnovers in seven games.

Littrell, the former  North Texas head coach, was set to earn $1.1 million in his first year in charge of Oklahoma’s offense in a contract that was set to run through the end of the 2026 season. He assumed the OC role in December 2023 following Jeff Lebby’s departure for Mississippi State.

Before Littrell’s firing, the Sooners moved Finley from the sideline into the coaches booth alongside Littrell and Johns for Saturday’s game. Afterward, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables declined to address the possibility of in-season changes to his coaching staff.

“If there are changes, you guys will be the first to know,” Venables said Saturday. “But you have another set of eyes up top. They always see things and identify things.”

The Sooners’ offense has been mired by injuries, quarterback changes and an output that has Oklahoma last in the SEC in rushing (112.1), yards per play (4.31) and third-down efficiency (27.5%).

Injuries to top wide receivers Deion Burks, Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Jayden Gibson and Andrel Anthony have limited the passing game this fall. On the offensive line, where Oklahoma had to replace five starters from a year ago, the Sooners have struggled for health and consistent play within a unit that has allowed 29 sacks, second-most among FBS offenses. The running game sits 114th nationally.

Yet the Sooners’ most glaring issue under Littrell came at the quarterback position.

Sophomore Jackson Arnold, the former five-star prospect, was benched in the fourth game after he committed three turnovers in the first half of a loss to Tennessee. Freshman Michael Hawkins Jr. started the next three games before Oklahoma turned back to Arnold against South Carolina after Hawkins turned the ball over on each of the Sooners’ first three possessions.

Including the 34-3 loss to Texas on Oct. 12, this is the first time Oklahoma has been held below 10 points in consecutive games since 1998.

“[I] hate it, it’s unfortunate, it’s unacceptable,” Littrell said afterward. “We have to be much better. I have to be much better. I’m going to continue to fight to do that.”

Upon Littrell’s departure, the Sooners will now turn to Finley to call plays for the foreseeable future. The 39-year-old assistant joined Oklahoma’s coaching staff as tight ends coach under Lincoln Riley in 2021 and was promoted to the role of co-offensive coordinator alongside Littrell in late 2023.

Finley previously served as the passing game coordinator at Ole Miss during the 2020 season.

Johns is in his first season at Oklahoma. While Littrell held the title of quarterbacks coach, Johns has also worked primarily with the team’s quarterbacks this fall. Duke averaged 29.8 points per game across Johns’ two seasons calling plays for the Blue Devils from 2022-23.