The revamp of Kansas’ interior defensive line added another key piece on Monday when the Jayhawks earned the commitment of Kevin Oatis.
Oatis, a 6-foot-3, 289-pound defensive tackle, redshirted at Arkansas in 2025. Originally from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, where he was a 247Sports Composite four-star prospect out of Hattiesburg High School, he announced his decision in a post on X.
Oatis played in four games as a true freshman, with 31 snaps on defense and two on special teams, according to Pro Football Focus.
He becomes the fourth interior lineman KU has added on the defensive side of the ball, following Jibriel Conde (Grand Valley State), Tre’Von McAlpine (Tulane) and Eamon Smalls (UAB). They join returning players Blake Herold, Marcus Calvin and Josiah Hammond as well as incoming freshman signee Nakwaine Carter.
Coming out of high school, where he also participated in track and field and powerlifting, Oatis had offers from a host of SEC and Big Ten schools before choosing Arkansas. His brother, Jehiem Oatis, is also a defensive tackle and played three seasons at Alabama under two coaching staffs and then one at Colorado before moving to Ole Miss in the ongoing portal cycle.
KU may be nearing the conclusion of its roster reconstruction process as its total number of portal transfers is well into the 20s. The deadline for players to enter the transfer portal — though not necessarily to commit — is Friday.
Arkansas Athletics
