NFL · Biography
Jaren Kanak
Tight end · Tennessee Titans · injured reserve · OU 2022-2025
Kansas QB turned Sooner linebacker turned tight end
Jaren Kanak grew up in Hays, Kansas, where he starred at quarterback for Hays High School. He originally committed to Clemson before flipping to Oklahoma.
His Sooner career is one of the most versatile in recent memory. He arrived as a linebacker and played there from 2022 to 2024, making 103 career tackles on defense. Then for 2025 he moved to tight end, and he hit the ground running, catching five passes for 90 yards in his first game at the position. By season's end he had earned third-team All-SEC honors as a tight end.
The Tennessee Titans selected Kanak in the seventh round (225th overall) of the 2026 NFL draft. Unfortunately, he suffered a torn pectoral muscle and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on August 16, 2026. That is his status as of October 8, 2026.
A player who has excelled at quarterback, linebacker and tight end is the kind of athlete who finds a way back, and Sooner fans will be rooting for him in 2027.