Oklahoma LB Kip Lewis is Thriving Under Brent Venables

NORMAN — Kip Lewis didn’t originally sign up to play in Brent Venables’ defense, but he’s become a key piece for Oklahoma’s dominant unit.

Lewis verbally committed to the Sooners in April 2021 when he thought he was going to play in Alex Grinch’s “Speed D.”

It didn’t take long for him to realize that he’d fit in under Venables when the newly hired coach first reached out.

“He visited my high school. … He got a get-back coach for him because he coaches with so much energy and passion,” Lewis said on Monday. “My mom had made a comment that probably going to need one for both of y’all. I knew I was going to love him the first time I met him. You can tell how much he loves and cares and appreciates for his guys.”

The pairing between Venabels and Lewis has been outstanding.

Lewis emerged in 2023, playing a key role in Oklahoma’s goal-line stop against Texas. He finished the 2023 season with 66 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

Last year, he totaled 65 tackles and four tackles for loss, and he also had a pair of key interceptions that he returned for touchdowns in wins against Auburn and Alabama.

This year, he’s been even better.

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With one game remaining in the regular season, Lewis has a career-high 68 tackles, and he has three sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.

He’s also set the tone for Oklahoma’s defense, bringing the energy on the sideline and between massive plays.

“My friends be asking me or teammates be asking me, 'How do you have that much energy?' And I'm just like guys I don't honestly really know,” Lewis said. “I kind of go out there, just like you said, just kind of flip a switch and it gets going. So I just kind of flip a switch, I guess.”

Lewis will have one more chance to fire up the fans in Norman, in the regular season at least, when the Sooners take on LSU on Saturday (2:30 p.m., ABC).

There will be a few familiar faces on the opposing sideline, namely Nic Anderson, who arrived at OU alongside Lewis, though Anderson has already been ruled out of this week’s game.

Still, the contest will be special to Lewis, who formed a close bond with tight end Kaden Helms and Anderson early in his Oklahoma career.

“(It’s) definitely going to be a full circle moment,” Lewis said. “We was talking to Nic the other day… Just glad to come see him be back down here and just happy to see him again. “