Kip Lewis has never needed a lot of external fuel to play with an edge. The Oklahoma linebacker already has that “Game Day Kip” switch he flips when the stakes rise, and heading into his fifth season in Norman, he sounds determined to make sure nobody misses him this time.
Lewis said the slight is part of what drives him.
“I don’t really get recognized nationally,” Lewis said. “So I kind of make that my effort now, to let them know it’s kind of a little BS that I sometimes get overlooked.
“So I’m always going to have that chip over my shoulder, in every technique I do, just coverage wise, blitz wise, pass-rush wise, fitting wise. Just making me want to bring my A game all the time.
That mindset comes with some outside validation, too. Lewis is on preseason watch lists for the Butkus and Bronko Nagurski awards, was named a second-team All-American by ESPN and a second-team All-SEC selection by league media in preseason polls.
Phil Steele went even higher, putting him on its first-team All-American list. But not everyone has been as high on him - he wasn’t included on The Athletic’s preseason All-SEC team or on Pro Football Focus’ top 10 returning linmebackers for 2026.
Asked why he thought that was the case, Lewis didn’t pretend to have the answer.
“I have no idea,” Lewis said. “You should ask them.
I don’t really know. That’s not a me question.”
The production has still been there. Lewis led Oklahoma with 76 tackles last season, a total that stood out for another reason: it was the lowest mark by the Sooners’ leading tackler since Brian Asamoah’s 66 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and the lowest team-leading total otherwise since the stat began being tracked in 1970.
He also had his moments. Lewis posted seven tackles and two sacks against Alabama in the regular season. But last year didn’t quite deliver the same kind of signature flashes he produced the season before, when he returned interceptions for touchdowns against Auburn and Alabama.
Sooners coach Brent Venables pointed to the things that make Lewis such a force beyond the box score.
“His best qualities are his energy and passion, the love for the game,” Venables said. “He’s got a great, great maturity. He wants things hard.”
Oklahoma’s defense was good enough and deep enough that Lewis’ numbers were naturally pulled down some in 2025. Even Lewis seems to understand that the tape tells the real story.
“I just know whenever you roll the tape, the tape speaks volumes,” Lewis said.
This offseason, one of Lewis’ biggest goals has been growing into the vocal side of his job. He knows leadership sometimes means saying more, not less.
“Definitely have to get out of the comfort zone and bark a little bit,” Lewis said. “Pull people where sometimes they don’t want to be pulled. If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it.”
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