NORMAN — Oklahoma filled its coaching with the addition of Jay Boulware as tight ends coach Friday. Boulware will also have duties coaching special teams.

“Jay owns an impressive track record as both a coach and recruiter,” OU coach Bob Stoops said in statement released late Friday afternoon. “He possesses a wide range of coaching experience, competing in some of the nation’s toughest conferences. He also has strong ties in the state of Texas, as well as recruiting relationships across the country that will serve us well at the University of Oklahoma. We enthusiastically welcome Jay back to his roots in the Big 12.”

Boulware, 40, spent the last four seasons as Auburn’s tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. Technically, OU hired him away from Wisconsin. He joined the Badgers’ staff in January.

The Oklahoma City native has a well-traveled coaching track. The Texas graduate began his career as a student and then graduate assistant at Texas from 1994-96. His Big 12 experience also included a stint as special teams coordinator/running backs coach at Iowa State (2007-08) before joining the Auburn staff in 2009.

“I have the utmost respect for Coach Stoops and his program at the University of Oklahoma,” Boulware said in a statement. “To have a chance to join the Oklahoma staff is an unbelievable professional and personal opportunity. I’m looking forward to the start of spring practice and the chance to work with the talented student-athletes and coaches on OU’s roster.”

It was recently announced OU has moved the start of spring practice back to Saturday after originally scheduling it to begin Wednesday. Boulware will join defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh as the staff’s new hires since Stoops cut ties with Jackie Shipp (defensive tackles), James Patton (guards and centers) and Bruce Kittle (tackles and tight ends) last month.

Boulware’s duties as special teams coach will be defined in the spring. Defensive ends coach Bobby Jack Wright is currently the Sooners’ special teams coordinator.

Boulware has coached in eight bowl games, including three BCS games. He his initial full-time coaching job at was Northern Illinois, where he coached tight ends (1997) and served as co-offensive line coach (1998-2000).

Boulware spent three seasons at Arizona as tight ends coach (2001), running backs coach (2002) and running backs coach/special teams coordinator (2003).

After a one-year stint as running backs coach at Stanford (2004), he worked for two seasons as tight ends coach/co-special teams coordinator at Utah (2005-06).

Boulware and his wife, Chantay, have a daughter, Jordin.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.