Oklahoma LB Kobie McKinzie dealing with groin injury ahead of Tennessee matchup

Oklahoma captain and starting middle linebacker Kobie McKinzie played just 15 snaps on Saturday in the team’s 34–26 loss to Ole Miss.

On his Monday night coaches show, Brent Venables noted that McKinzie is dealing with a groin injury. Venables said the junior linebacker was jogging around at practice on Monday and that the staff is “hopeful” he’ll be good to go against No. 14 Tennessee on Saturday in Knoxville (6:30 p.m. CT, ABC).

With McKinzie sidelined for most of the game against Ole Miss, Owen Heinecke took on the bulk of the workload, logging a career-high 62 snaps. If McKinzie is unable to go on Saturday, expect another heavy dose of Heinecke, along with more opportunities for Sammy Omosigho.

Through seven games, McKinzie has totaled 24 tackles and one sack. His status on Wednesday’s availability report will be something to keep a close eye on.

Other notable players to monitor on the upcoming report — who Venables did not provide updates on Monday — include Derek Simmons, Keontez Lewis, and Gentry Williams, among others.

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