Kip Lewis knows a thing or two about being in the spotlight. The 6-1/198 true freshman was a standout athlete back home in Carthage, Texas. Rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports, Lewis started at outside linebacker as a sophomore, was the leading tackler as he helped lead his team to a state title as a junior, and then was the Texas District 10-4A D-II Overall MVP as a senior. However, now he’s about to step into a spotlight like no other.
The weakside linebacker position was thought to be primarily between seniors DaShaun White and T.D. Roof. One of those two would win and the other would be No. 2 on the depth chart. That would leave Lewis with the opportunity to grow a little in the background and then make a strong push to be the No.1 heading into the the 2023 season. It’s likely that he’ll grow in 2022 but it won’t be in the background. The season-ending injury to Roof solidifies White as the starter but it also moves Lewis up the depth chart as well.
Brent Venables has other options at linebacker. Senior David Ugwoegbu was rated as the No. 25 weakside linebacker prospect coming out of high school. He has 102 career tackles as a Sooner and could easily slide back over from the middle if needed to. The key is going to be DeShaun White. If he plays up to his potential and stays healthy then Venables will have ample opportunity to groom Lewis to be ready to take over at a moment’s notice.
“Everything goes through them. They’re the quarterback of the defense — that unit is. And they need to be the heart and soul of your team if we’re going to be worth a flip. And certainly our defense.”
Brent Venables Talking about the linebackers prior to the start of fall camp.
There’s nothing about Lewis that would indicate he’s not ready for the moment. He’s got a big frame. He’s got speed, and the kid can flat out tackle. Between his junior and senior years combined he recorded 259 total tackles! There’s nothing physically about him that would indicate he can’t do what Venables expects of his linebackers, however big those expectations may be. It appears as if Lewis is the future at the weakside position and, due to the injury bug, the future could be here sooner than expected.
Follow us on Twitter: @SportsHeartland