Ohio State Football: Top 5 targets for 2018 National Signing Day

Another local kid who has been high on the Buckeyes throughout his recruiting process is Christopher Oats, a four-star linebacker from Cincinnati. Rumor has it Ohio State has been his favorite for a while, but the Buckeyes haven’t taken his commitment — maybe it’s due to other priority prospects.

The Buckeyes have extended an offer to Oats, but it looks like Kentucky leads for his services as they are more likely to accept his commitment. Just like Tavion Thomas, Cincinnati also remains a local option in case he wants to stay home to play college ball, but it seems clear that Ohio State is his favorite school.

Oats stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at 215 pounds. He’s an athletic linebacker who could afford to add a little weight, but he knows how to get after it.

The success of the Buckeyes’ defense over the years has to be attractive to the local four-star prospect as they put guys in the NFL on a regular basis. He’s ranked the No. 246 overall recruit and 20th-best outside linebacker in the 2018 class, per 247Sports.