Oklahoma's Freshman Linebacker Trio Made 'Drastic Improvements' This Summer

Jaren Kanak, Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis are prepared to fight for a role this year as fall camp opens for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Jaren Kanak, Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis arrived in Norman this spring to great fanfare.

The trio of linebacker recruits arrived at Oklahoma with a diverse skillset exciting fans about the potential of the unit growing under head coach Brent Venables and defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Ted Roof.

Kanak, a 6-foot-2, 219-pound product of Hays, KS, reportedly turned heads during spring practice for his sheer speed and athleticism, something that was on full display during OU’s spring game.

The 236-pound McKinzie projects to be a heavy-hitter, and Lewis will be called upon to defend sideline-to-sideline at 198 pounds.

Kip Lewis (10) is one of the new faces in Oklahoma's linebacker room this year  :: Chris Landsberger / The Oklahoman-USA Today Network

With the likes of DaShaun White, David Ugwoegbu, Danny Stutsman, T.D. Roof and Shane Whitter ahead of them, there isn’t a ton of pressure on the freshman trio to make an impact immediately. But arriving as early-enrollees has set Kanak, McKinzie and Lewis on a path to success early in their OU careers.

“They’re way ahead because they got here in January,” Roof said during his press conference at media day on Tuesday. “The shock – it’s bigger for some than others – the shock of going from high school football to college football, especially at a place like the University of Oklahoma. There’s a leap there. Everything is faster. Certainly, in our program, there is a high level of accountability. The newness. Like hey, this is my dorm. This is where I eat. This is the weight room. I’m supposed to be here at six, but that really means 5:50. All those things that go into the newness of it.

“… They’re so much better by coming in mid-year and being where we are now as opposed to had they come in during June. That’s not to say that the guys who came in June haven’t had a great summer because they have. It’s a transition. There’s growth and learning that happens with those transitions.”

Stutsman in particular has been impressed with the growth that the freshman linebackers have shown since arriving on campus in January. Just a sophomore himself, Stutsman took the freshmen under his wing to help them acclimate to life at Oklahoma.

Headed into their first fall camp as football players at OU, Stutsman said all three true freshmen have put in the work to thrive during fall camp.

The buzz surrounding Kanak was one of the major storylines throughout the spring, and he’s done nothing but improve over the summer, Stutsman said.

“Every single day it’s me and him in that wight room and we pushed each other,” he said. “We’ve gotten better and Sooner Nation already knows. The hype’s around him and the hype is real.”

And while McKinzie and Lewis may have taken a perceived backseat to Kanak this spring, Stutsman said the duo kept their heads down and continued to grow over the summer as well.

“They’ve made drastic improvements,” Stutsman said. “… They’re eager and they had their ups and downs but you know when summer came and spring ball — they kept making strides. And every single day they were committed to getting better and better. And looking back to where they were then and where they are now, it’s drastic improvements.

“All the linebackers, we pushed them and we’re proud of them. We give them that praise and everything when they deserve it and we stay on them because we know how great they can be, man. Those two kids are talented, man. The way Kip can move and the way Kobe can hit, man, it’s awesome. That’s the future.”

Kobie McKinzie (11) arrived at Oklahoma to learn under Brent Venables  :: Chris Landsberger / The Oklahoman-USA Today Network

The pressure was always going to be on Kanak, McKinzie and Lewis purely because of who their head coach is.

Venables played and coached the position, and never misses a chance to stress the importance of the position to his defense.

“They’re the quarterback of the defense, that unit is,” Venables said of the linebacker position on Tuesday. “And they need to be the heart and soul of your team if we’re going to be worth a flip.

“… They’ve always been a liaison for me, as a defensive coordinator, to get everything done that you want to get done. Both on the front and the back end. They’re the ones that we’re really going to lean hard on.”

Stutsman said the entire group of linebackers understand how important they are to the defense and they’ve embraced the challenge to live up to Venables’ standards.

“It’s been a blessing. (Venables and Roof) know so much about the game of football and just defenses in general,” Stutsman said. “I mean, whenever they talk in those meetings you’re trying to jot everything down as fast as you can, bring it all in because they have so much knowledge for the game.

“And I think the linebacker room, we all know the opportunity that we have and how grateful we are that they’re there and everyday we take advantage of it. We’re always in Coach Roof’s office trying to ask for extra film. See what we can do extra for him and we’re just grateful.”

That understanding and urgency filtered down to the three freshman, who are prepared to try and fight for snaps as they head into their first campaign with the Sooners. 

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