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Oklahoma Freshmen: Getting a Jump on College Football — LB Kip Lewis

It's not clear yet what Oklahoma's front seven will look like under Brent Venables, so a lot of players, including Lewis, will have to figure out their roles this spring.

John E. Hoover

Editor’s Note: Oklahoma welcomes 17 freshmen (so far) in the 2022 recruiting class. This is Part 7 of a 10-part series introducing Oklahoma’s early enrollees in the 2022 recruiting class.

Kip_Lewis
OU Athletics

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LB Kip Lewis

6-1, 200

Carthage, TX

247 Sports: 4-star, No. 233 overall, No. 19 LB

Rivals: 4-star, No. 191 overall, No. 15 OLB

Background: After missing most of his sophomore year with a knee injury, Lewis returned better than ever in 2020, leading Carthage’s 14-0 state championship run by leading the team in tackles. He did it again in 2021 as he compiled 140 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, four quarterback sacks and totaled three fumbles. He was named district MVP as he helped Carthage to an 11-1 record with 108 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and six sacks. Oklahoma offered Lewis last January, shortly after Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas Tech offered — and one day after USC. Lewis soon began drawing interest from the SEC and the rest of the Big 12. After unofficial visits to Texas and Texas A&M, Lewis decided to pull the trigger and committed to Oklahoma on April 30. Even after Lincoln Riley and his linebackers coach, Brian Odom, left for USC, Lewis remained committed to the Sooners and signed in December over Notre Dame, Texas, Texas A&M and others.

2022 Projection: Sooner Nation will love Lewis’ motor. He is a fierce competitor, loves to chase down ballcarriers and fits the run with delightful aggression. How much attention he gets early at Oklahoma will depend on how fast he picks things up this spring. There are two returning seniors ahead of him who started last year, and the new coaching staff will want to see for themselves what DaShaun White and David Ugwoegbu are all about. Same for Danny Stutsman, a freshman backup last season, speedy Shane Whitter, Joseph Wete and others. It’s also not yet clear how many actual linebackers Brent Venables and Ted Roof want to use. They typically have featured a 4-3 base front, so guys who previously played the rush linebacker, like Marcus Stripling, Brynden Wallker and Clayton Smith, might find themselves in a more traditional linebacker role. That will shake out some this spring, and Lewis and fellow freshman Jaren Kanak will have an opportunity to show their stuff.

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Meet Oklahoma's 2022 Early Enrollees

Published
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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