The Oklahoma Sooners have a top wide receiver injured, and although OU fans have lingering PTSD from 2024, there’s no need to worry, at least not at this point.
Keontez Lewis is questionable to play against No. 22 Auburn on Saturday after taking a big hit to the helmet against Temple last week. Lewis left the game late in the second quarter and never returned.
Keontez Lewis injury update
In three games with OU since transferring from Southern Illinois, Lewis has 15 receptions for 181 yards and two touchdowns, which is tied for the team lead.
“We expect for him to hopefully be back,” OU head coach Brent Venables said on Monday’s coach’s show. “So, we’ll see.”
Venables is usually vague with injury updates, but starting Wednesday, the SEC will release a daily availability report for this conference game, so Lewis’ status will be more clear. The Sooners have also been without receivers Javonnie Gibson, who's nearing a return, and Jayden Gibson all season because of offseason injuries. Both could start, or at least crack the rotation, once healthy.
Regardless, one receiver that's actually played is obviously easier than replacing five like the Sooners had to most of last year, but the program is also much deeper at receiver now because of that nightmare scenario.
"I trust our receiver room," offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle said during Tuesday’s weekly press conference. "Zion Kearney has shown that he can go in the game and make an impact. Ivan Carreon, just like throughout all fall camp, was maybe the most consistent guy out there. So, with or without Keontez, I feel great about our receiver room as a whole."
Both players Arbuckle mentioned — Kearney and Carreon — already have experience as young receivers, because they were thrown into the fire of SEC play last season as freshmen.
Last season in 11 games as a freshman, Kearney had eight catches for 128 yards and a TD. Carreon, listed at 6-foot-6, posted 10 receptions and 89 receiving yards while playing in 11 games with one start in OU’s bowl game. He had seven catches for 72 yards in his lone start.
Carreon is actually listed as the No. 2 behind Lewis at the X on OU’s Week 4 depth chart. However, Kearney was the one who saw more playing time Saturday after Lewis was sidelined. Kearney stepped in and caught two passes for 31 yards against Temple. The game was already in hand by the time Kearney started getting a lot of snaps, though.
Highly touted freshman Elijah Thomas also made his offensive debut and caught a five-yard pass. He also almost caught a deep ball if not for pass interference.
Thomas has the talent to produce, but Kearney and Carreon also have the experience thanks to last season’s growing pains. At 3-0 heading into SEC play, since all of 2024’s problems didn’t kill Venables’ time at OU, it’s now made the Sooners stronger in 2025.
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