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Oklahoma Adds Second Transfer Portal WR of the Day

Keontez Lewis began his career at UCLA and was in the rotation at Wisconsin but eventually transferred to Southern Illinois.

John E. Hoover

Former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Keontez Lewis
Former Wisconsin Badgers wide receiver Keontez Lewis / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
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Oklahoma is replenishing its wide receiver stock at a rapid pace.

The Sooners landed a commitment Wednesday from wideout Keontez Lewis.

Lewis played previously at Southern Illinois after beginning his college career at UCLA and playing two years at Wisconsin.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Lewis hails from East St. Louis, IL, where he was a 3-star prospect at East St. Louis High School, according to 247 Sports, ESPN and Rivals. On3 rated Lewis as a 4-star prospect.

For the Salukis this season, Lewis registered 49 receptions for 813 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 16.6 yards per catch. 

He caught one pass for 12 yards in 2023 and 20 passes for 313 yards and three TDs in his two seasons in Madison. As a true freshman at UCLA in 2021, Lewis played in 11 games but didn’t log any offensive statistics.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lewis played 520 total snaps this season at FCS Southern Illinois — 515 on offense. He ranked fifth this year in the Missouri Valley Conference with 73.9 yards per  game, 11th in receptions and seventh in receiving yards.

He wasn’t injured, but played just six snaps at Wisconsin in 2023.

In 2022, Lewis played 348 total offensive snaps for the Badgers and seemed to be on his way to a productive career in Madison. Instead, Luke Fickell took over as head coach and Lewis fell out of the rotation the following season.

In 2021, Lewis played 213 total snaps as a UCLA rookie, including 208 on offense.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, OU landed a commitment from Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer wideout Javonnie Gibson.

OU now has four commitments through the transfer portal, including punter Jacob Ulrich and offensive lineman Luke Baklenko.

The Sooners have lost 25 players so far since the portal opened last Monday, including six wide receivers: Jaquaize Pettaway, Nic Anderson, J.J. Hester, Jalil Farooq, Andrel Anthony and Brenen Thompson.

The winter transfer portal window is open from Dec. 9-28. The spring window is open from April 16-25.

Players do not have to know their destination by Dec. 28, they just have to be in the portal when the window closes to retain immediate eligibility. The spring portal window runs from April 16-25, 2025.

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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