Kentucky Football Countdown: No. 22 Chris Oats

We are only 22 days away from the start of the Kentucky football season. The No. 22 is an important number for Mark Stoops’ program. After each huddle, a player breaks the group down by saying, “22 on me, 22 on three.” Kentucky plays “For the Team” and Chris Oats is a significant part of that.

Oats was a four-star recruit and top 300 prospect in the class of 2020. He immediately made an impact, tallying 27 tackles, 3.0 for loss, 2.0 sacks, and a forced fumble as a true freshman. The following year he finished fifth on the team in tackles with 46. Oats played outstanding in a slugfest at Georgia and forced a fumble on a fourth down stand against Missouri.

Chris Oats was destined for SEC stardom when he suffered a stroke in the summer of 2020. He has battled tooth and nail to overcome the life-threatening medical emergency. Over the last summer he made significant strides to get back on his feet, quite literally, thanks to contributes from kind folks across the BBN at 22OatsStrong.org.

Playing for Chris Oats and For the Team

The Wildcats have been with Chris every step along the way. This summer they joined him in Northern Kentucky for the Chris Oats Football Camp, using NIL rights to raise money to help cover Oats’ medical expenses. A few weeks later he returned to Lexington to join the Cats for the team picture ahead of his senior season.

During the offseason Brad White often uses what he calls “teach tapes” during meetings with the defense. It’s a compilation of perfectly executed plays for various scenarios. Chris Oats appears in many of the clips, serving as a reminder to the Wildcats why they’re playing for Chris Oats.

“Guys, understand — Don’t ever get numb to when we break down on ’22,’” White said. “This is what it’s about, so just continue to let the young guys that didn’t necessarily know Chris when he was here, get to know him and know the personality he has, know his family. So, it’s always awesome to have him around as much as he is.”