The Oklahoma Sooners are finishing up fall camp as the 2026 college football season is just under two weeks away from getting started. The Sooners come into the season with one of the best defenses in the sport.
That defense is led by two star linebackers, Kip Lewis and Owen Heinecke. Lewis has started the last three seasons, racking up 207 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks. He's been one of the big reasons for the defensive turnarounds.
Heinecke is a former walk-on who broke out this last season. After totaling only 11 tackles in his first two seasons, he had 74 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and three sacks last season. He was asked on Friday about his relationship with Lewis. He said they complement each other perfectly.
"I like to think
we're kind of yin and yang," Heinecke said via SoonerScoop's YouTube channel. "I'm a little bit more levelheaded, composed, and he's, you know, all over the place, tracking, you know, 8,000 yards of practice cuz he's just pacing the field up and down the whole time."
Oklahoma's defense is expected to be the strength of the team once again in 2026, and Lewis and Heinecke will play a major role in that success. Both linebackers have proven they can make plays all over the field, giving Brent Venables two experienced and productive pieces to build around.
If the duo can continue playing at the level they showed last season, the Sooners could have one of the most formidable linebacker combinations in the SEC. With Oklahoma hoping to make another run at the College Football Playoff, having that kind of stability in the middle of the defense could prove invaluable.
Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X (formerly known as Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on X @jaronspor.
This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Owen Heinecke, Kip Lewis make the perfect combo for Oklahoma
