LEXINGTON — Linebacker Chris Oats will not play for the Kentucky football team this season. His No. 22 jersey will still be at the heart of the Wildcat defense when the season opens Saturday at Auburn, though.
“He’s the definition of a fighter,” defensive coordinator Brad White said of Oats. “We draw strength from him. To be able to see that 22 running around is going to be special.”
UK announced in May that Oats, a junior from Cincinnati who was expected to compete for the starting middle linebacker job, had been hospitalized with an undisclosed medical issue that was not related to COVID-19.