Joe Jon Finley - Tight Ends - Football Coaches

Joe Jon Finley

Title:
Tight Ends

Coaching Notes and Accomplishments
• Hired as Oklahoma's associate head coach for offense and tight ends/H-backs coach in January 2021, Finley now serves as co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach under third-year head coach Brent Venables.

• Coached a 2023 tight ends group that helped OU lead the Big 12 with its 41.7 points (ranked fourth nationally), 507.0 total yards (third), 324.8 passing yards (sixth) per contest and 167.5 passing efficiency rating (sixth).

• His 2022 tight ends helped OU lead the Big 12 with its 474.0 total yards (ranked 13th nationally) and 219.8 rushing yards (10th) per contest. Tight end Brayden Willis earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after totaling 514 yards and a team-high seven TDs on 39 catches (13.2 ypc), and was picked in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

• During his first season at OU, the tight ends and H-backs accounted for 66 receptions, 710 receiving yards and nine touchdowns (24% of the team’s 279 total receptions, 21% of the 3,425 receiving yards and 28% of the 32 TD receptions).

• Served as passing game coordinator and tight ends coach at Ole Miss in 2020, helping the Rebels to one of the best offensive seasons in program history. Ole Miss ranked No. 3 nationally in total offense (555.5 ypg), No. 5 in pass efficiency rating (178.7), No. 7 in passing offense (344.9 ypg), No. 10 in yards per play (7.0), No. 14 in scoring offense (39.2 ppg) and No. 26 in rushing offense (210.6 ypg).

• Tight end Kenny Yeboah thrived under Finley's direction in 2020, catching 27 passes for 524 yards and six touchdowns in his eight games before getting injured. Yeboah's 19.4 yards per catch led all SEC players and was the ninth-highest average among Power Five players.

• Coached tight ends at Texas A&M during the 2019 campaign, mentoring true freshman tight end Jalen Wydermyer to a strong rookie season. Wydermyer earned freshman All-America honors from multiple outlets and hauled in 32 passes for 447 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns.

• Tight ends blossomed under Finley in his three seasons at Missouri (2016-18). 2020 fourth-round NFL Draft pick Albert Okwuegbunam was named a 2018 Mackey Award finalist after catching 43 passes for 466 yards and six touchdowns. In 2017, Okwuegbunam registered 11 TD catches, the highest total by an FBS tight end and most among all freshmen at any position.

• Finley's Missouri tight ends caught 15 touchdown passes in 2017, the most among all FBS teams. While their receiving talents were on display, Finley's group played a pivotal role in the Missouri offense gaining just under 200 rushing yards per game. In addition to Okwuegbunam, Finley's former Missouri tight ends Sean Culkin (Baltimore Ravens) and Kendall Blanton (Los Angeles Rams) are in the NFL.

• Spent the 2015 season as an assistant director of football operations and offensive quality control analyst at Baylor. Prior to his one-year stint in Waco, Finley was the offensive line coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at Los Fresnos High School in south Texas.

• Served the 2012 and 2013 seasons as an offensive graduate assistant at OU under former head coach Bob Stoops, helping the Sooners advance to the Cotton and Sugar Bowls.

• Began his coaching career as the offensive line coach at Los Fresnos High School in 2011.

Accomplishments as a Player
• A standout tight end for the Sooners, Finley was a four-year letterman and a member of Big 12 championship squads in 2004, '06 and '07. He earned All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades as a junior and senior and finished his career with 62 catches, 775 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns in 50 games. His 62 receptions and 775 receiving yards both rank seventh all-time among OU tight ends.

• After graduating from Oklahoma in 2008, spent parts of five seasons in the NFL with San Francisco (2008-10), Detroit (2010-11) and Carolina (2012).

• Played high school football at Arlington (Texas) High School under his father, Mickey, from 1999-2002, throwing for 1,626 yards and 12 touchdowns and running for 897 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior quarterback.