The Football Brainiacs

Football Time in Oklahoma

Football Time in Oklahoma is only 10 days away. We’re counting down the days with a look at each number on the roster; today, we’ll spotlight Kip Lewis.

Noteworthy Numbers

2014-2017 – Steven Parker

2010-2014 – Blake Bell

2004-2007 – Garrett Hartley

2002-2004 – Lance Mitchell

1999-2000 – Torrance Marshall

1975-1978 – Uwe von Schamann

Player Profile

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 226

Class: Redshirt Senior

Seasons at OU: 4

Hometown: Carthage, Texas

Previous School: Carthage HS

The Path to Norman

Kip Lewis came to Norman as a Texas high school football product. His first D1 offer came in December, 2020; within just a few months, the linebacker had offers from all over the country, including Texas, Texas A&M, LSU, and Notre Dame. His OU offer came in January; following a relatively short recruiting process and a visit for OU’s spring game, Lewis committed to the Sooners. Following the coaching change at OU, Coach Venables visited Lewis; Lewis stayed locked in with the Sooners as part of three insanely talented linebackers in the 2022 class (Kobie McKinzie and Jaren Kanak being the others).

@gabrieldbrooks @LincolnRiley @samspiegs @justinwells2424 @BrandonDrumm247 @CoachBOdom @SummerSurratt @HamiltonESPN @CoachGrinch @LemmingReport pic.twitter.com/nHeIPvcZnu

— Kip Lewis (@KipLewis9) April 30, 2021

Career so Far

Lewis took a redshirt season in 2022, playing in his max four games.

In 2023, Lewis had a significantly larger role. He played in all 13 games, seeing five starts over the final five games. Lewis finished second on the team in tackles and earned an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 nod.

2024 was Lewis’ biggest season yet. He was a true playmaker, responsible for two pick-sixes that will be remembered by Sooner fans for years to come. Lewis finished the season third on the team in tackles, tied for first in interceptions, and first in both interception yards and defensive touchdowns.

Lewis one-upped himself in 2025. He started every game, led the team in tackles, and set career highs in both TFL and sacks (he had more of each than the previous three seasons combined).

Stats

Years: 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 44

Tackles: 76 | 65 | 66 | 2 | 209

TFL: 10.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 18.5

Sacks: 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5

INT: 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2

PBU: 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5

FF: 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0

FR: 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

This fall will feature a veteran linebacker room led by Owen Heinecke, Lewis, and transfer Cole Sullivan, with James Nesta and several others among those pushing for snaps. The Sooners will feature one of the best linebacker groups in the SEC and one of the anchor units for the team. Lewis enters the year on the Butkus, Bednarik, and Nagurski watch lists and was a preseason second-team All-SEC selection by the coaches and media; he’ll look for a big season in his final lap in Norman.