The Oklahoma Sooners are dealing with another significant offseason change, but this time it isn’t a player entering the transfer portal. Instead, one of the program’s most important behind-the-scenes figures is calling it quits after just one season in Norman. He is choosing to return to the NFL. This news comes amid chaos after the Sooners’ star running backs coach, DeMarco Murray, left for an opportunity with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The head football athletic trainer, Jonathan Gress, is making his way to the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. The $6.3B NFL franchise announced its new hire on July 3. “OU’s lead football trainer is heading back to the NFL, this time with the Titans. Gress was with the #Sooners for one season after coming over from the Saints,” read the post by George Stoia III.

Venables welcomed Gress to the Sooners in 2025. This was a crucial hire made after Oklahoma suffered many injuries in the 2024 season. Their entire season went to shambles because of an injury plague, with the wide receivers suffering the most. In total, they had 17 injuries. Gress was called in to stabilize Oklahoma’s injury management and establish an NFL-caliber “Return-to-Play” infrastructure. Venables hired him from the New Orleans Saints.

As soon as he took over the role, Gress tried to apply the knowledge he had gained over 7 years in the NFL. He implicated the precise risk-assessment profiles and a structured physical therapy framework. Gress also shifted the Sooners’ traditional approach to data-driven benchmarks. This helped him gather data on a player to hit specific baseline metrics in lateral power, cognitive reaction times, and positional workload to make his way onto the roster.

Although the injury plague did not truly leave their side in the 2025 season, Gress’s presence prevented many. He was a crucial piece in helping QB John Mateer make a midseason comeback after his thumb reconstruction. Gress also helped the WR room create a proper regimen on and off the field to minimize injuries.

Jonathan Gress’s journey throughout the years

Jonathan Gress has been one of the most profound coaches in the NFL, holding a Master’s degree in physical therapy. To further enhance his knowledge, he also completed a second Master’s degree in Athletic Training from Texas State University.

He started his career with Arizona as an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist for 4 seasons. The next jump in his career was straight into the NFL. He began his tenure with the Miami Dolphins as an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist for four more years.

Gress then joined the New Orleans Saints and moved to director of rehabilitation after earning a promotion. He aimed to create long-term recovery templates and built organizational risk-assessment protocols. After 7 seasons with the Saints, he decided it was time for a homecoming, and the Norman native returned to Oklahoma.