UK might have dynamic freshman duo in DeAndre Square and Chris Oats
Kentucky signed three linebackers from the Class of 2018. One, Ashtan Pierre, didn't make it to campus due to grades.
But that still leaves the Wildcats with a duo that could be as promising as any pair of true freshman linebackers the program has had in recent memory.
DeAndre Square and Chris Oats were both highly recruited, highly ranked, well-regarded linebacker recruits in high school. Square spurned his home state Michigan State Spartans to sign with Kentucky, while Oats made waves in the recruiting world when he picked the Cats instead of Ohio State, which made a late run at him.
Square enrolled a semester early and got a leg up in the weight room, in the classroom and in terms of learning the defense and studying up in the mental part of the game.
Both players are listed as inside linebackers on Kentucky's preseason football prospectus. That's important because the Wildcats have a lack of proven depth at those inside spots, especially considering the loss of Courtney Love from last year's team and the unexpected transfer of Eli Brown.
There's Jordan Jones, Kash Daniel, Jamin Davis and Alex King in terms of competition between older players for those spots, but Square and Oats might have a real opportunity to get on the field for meaningful snaps as true freshmen.
Square and Oats will be competing with one another, too. But their bond is evident. The two were walking around together during the program's Media Day last week, and they spoke with Cats Illustrated as a pair.
“I committed first and then I saw (Oats) was still on our radar and I was like, ‘Oh he could be a nice addition and maybe we could be a duo,’” Square said.
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