Oklahoma Coach Brent Venables Gives Update on Linebacker Kip Lewis

NORMAN — Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis may be back in the rotation sooner than later.

OU coach Brent Venables took to his weekly coaches show on Monday evening and revealed that Lewis, who left Saturday’s loss to Michigan with a knee injury, received a positive update about his status.

“We got some good news there,” Venables said. “He’ll be back sooner than maybe we initially thought, so that’s awesome.”

Though Venables didn’t give a specific timetable for Lewis’ return, this news is encouraging after the Sooners’ linebacker corps struggled — at times — in the 17-10 loss to the Wolverines.

Lewis, currently playing his fifth year at Oklahoma, is the team’s most experienced linebacker.

Last year, Lewis registered 76 total tackles, 38 solo tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries, four sacks and four pass breakups in 13 starts. In the three years before that, Lewis started a combined 17 games and 131 total tackles.

It’s uncertain whether or not Lewis will take the field against New Mexico on Saturday. If he is unable to play, Owen Heinecke, Cole Sullivan and James Nesta will likely get the most reps at linebacker.

Later on during his radio show, Venables mentioned running back Tory Blaylock, who logged only one carry in the Michigan game.

Venables said that Blaylock didn’t see high usage against the Wolverines because he didn’t practice until late last week.

He did, however, say that Blaylock will be a key piece in the run game going forward — and that could be massive for Oklahoma. Blaylock led the Sooners with 480 yards and four touchdowns as a true freshman in 2025.

“When he’s 100% healthy, which I think he is now, he’s a dynamic player,” Venables said.

True freshman running back Jonathan Hatton Jr. traveled with the Sooners to Ann Arbor, but he did not appear in the game. Hatton suffered an ankle injury in OU’s win over UTEP and missed a few days of practice leading up to the Michigan trip, per Venables.

“Jonathan Hatton was banged up going into the game,” Venables said. “He was available but had missed several days of preparation.”

The Sooners fell from No. 11 in the AP Top 25 to No. 24 after losing to the Wolverines. Michigan, on the other hand, went from unranked to No. 19.

Oklahoma’s game against New Mexico on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

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