LOOK: Chris Oats, Kentucky teammates hosted a football camp at Beechwood
Chris Oats continues to make impressive strides on his road to recovery. The latest example comes in the form of a football camp that he and his Kentucky teammates hosted on Saturday at Beechwood High School in northern KY.
Now over two years removed from a career-ending stroke suffered in May 2020, Oats has been in the process of rehabilitating almost ever since. To help distract him from that for a day, the likes of Will Levis, JJ Weaver, Oats’ very close friend DeAndre Square, Kenneth Horsey, and several other Kentucky football players showed up to help run the skills camp.
“It’s really good to do something special for him,” Square said, according to WKYT. “I am happy watching him work. I know it’s pretty hard, so to see him smiling and to keep going in the process. I know he is a warrior.”
Oats has posted 15 videos of highlights from the camp to his YouTube page, which you can find through the link here. There are videos of Square and Levis working with the kids along with Oats spending time with the campers.
The Winton Woods High School (OH) product came to Kentucky as a four-star recruit in the class of 2018. The 6-foot-3 pass-rusher played two seasons with the Wildcats in 2018 and 2019, appearing in 25 games while recording 73 total tackles, 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Oats sat out the 2020 and 2021 seasons following his medical issue.
Oats recently completed therapy in Florida, with his mother Kemberly Gamble updating her son’s status and progress throughout on her Twitter page.
“It has been very special. It has been a little emotional seeing him back in his atmosphere with his teammates,” Gamble told WKYT. “(Chris) just couldn’t wait to get here. When they asked him to come, we were ready to come. We enjoyed it and they showed a lot of love.”
Even if you didn’t attend the camp, you can still help Oats and his family throughout his rehabilitation journey by donating to their GoFundMe at 22OatsStrong.org.
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