NORMAN — Oklahoma has hired a new head athletics trainer for the football program.
The Sooners have tabbed Jonathan Gress to take over as the program's new head football trainer, a source confirmed to Sooners Illustrated on Monday morning. Gress comes to Oklahoma after spending the last seven years with the New Orleans Saints, including the last six as the franchise's director of rehabilitation.
Sooner Scoop was first to report the hiring of Gress earlier Monday.
The addition of Gress comes just a couple of weeks after Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables told reporters at SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, that the program was in the process of hiring new leadership in the Sooners' medical space.
According to a source, Gress is expected to start in his new role with Oklahoma in the next couple of weeks.
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The hiring marks a notable change at the top for Oklahoma on the training front after an inaugural SEC season that was marred by injuries, particularly at wide receiver and along the offensive line. Each of the Sooners' top five wide receivers heading into last season missed significant time—and in some cases, the entire year—due to injuries. According to the report by Sooners Scoop, the change in leadership for OU comes after a complete offseason assessment of the 2024 season by a third party.
For Gress, the move to Oklahoma marks a homecoming for the Norman native, who received a master's degree in physical therapy from Oklahoma in 2008. He also holds a master's degree in athletic training from Texas Tech, which he earned in 2010.
Upon graduating from Texas Tech, Gress was an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist at Arizona from 2010-14. He then spent multiple seasons with the Miami Dolphins as an assistant athletic trainer and physical therapist before being hired by New Orleans in 2018. He spent his first season with the Saints as an assistant athletic trainer before being promoted to director of rehabilitation in 2019.
The addition of Gress is the latest behind-the-scenes hire for Oklahoma this offseason, as the program has worked to reshape its front office under new general manager Jim Nagy, as well as its medical staff.
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