TicketsThe storylines for Senior Day a year ago were clear.
Players like Gerrid Doaks and Jarell White were on a 4-8 team as freshmen. They graduated with a conference championship, a Peach Bowl appearance, and a period of flirtation with the College Football Playoff. Many of those storylines remain in 2021. After all, Desmond Ridder and Coby Bryant were also on the roster in 2017.
Just Know Cincinnati 2018 freshman class , we starting a new waves so you better join before you drown 💯💍🌊@Marcus_Freeman1 @tavionthomas937 @MalikVann7 @GoBearcatsFB @BCstrength @CoachFick @GoBearcatsFB @Lenny_T_20 @JoshWhyle81
— IAmMyjaiSlatt (@MyjaiSanders) January 2, 2019
But glance at Cincinnati's 2018 recruiting class, and you'll not only find a Fickell-era all-star team but a list of players to watch in the 2022 NFL Draft: Myjai Sanders to Alec Pierce, Josh Whyle to Leonard Taylor. The list goes on.
Malik Vann, who many view as the figurehead for the Bearcats' resurgence in landing local talent, just finished his fourth season at Nippert. It feels impossible. Time flies when you're having fun, they say.
Luke Fickell has been in Cincinnati long enough that his graduating classes no longer know downturns, growing pains, disappointing seasons, or empty bleachers. This is a class that, for the first time in 136 years of Cincinnati football, can say it's leaving without a loss at Nippert Stadium (though they'll get to work Friday to create an AAC Championship Game curtain call).
Happy Senior Day, @desmondridder.
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) November 20, 2021
❤️ 9️⃣ pic.twitter.com/iY8FxQ1PMU
Ask a fan who's been around, and they'll tell you how foreign this idea is. There was a time not too long ago where Cincinnati frequently hosted recruiting showcases for the college football elite. The Miami Hurricanes, Penn State Nittany Lions, or Florida State Seminoles would roll into town, invite the city's best recruits, win by three or four scores, and hit the road.
That phenomenon is over. These Bearcats seniors are 42-6 in their Cincinnati careers, including 25-0 at Nippert Stadium. They've beaten five ranked teams, played in two College GameDay games, and they'll appear in their third conference championship game next month.
Evan Prater checks in at quarterback. pic.twitter.com/IXw4TJVaeb
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) November 20, 2021
On Saturday, they handled an 8-2 SMU team with ease, building a 48-0 lead on their way to a 48-14 Senior Day victory. QB Evan Prater, the highest-rated recruit in Bearcats history, entered in the second half and saw the most action of his young career, throwing a TD pass to Jordan Jones. Sophomore LB Deshawn Pace finished with a team-high seven tackles.
Saturday gave us a moment to reflect on what these seniors have accomplished in four years, and part of that includes paving the way for the future. Thanks to them, the standard Prater and Pace inherit is high. The future is bright in Clifton, but the past is too.
Up Next The regular season's finale takes place in North Carolina on Friday, as the Bearcats square off with the Pirates at 3:30 p.m. with an undefeated season at stake.Saturday's victory secured Cincinnati's place in the AAC Championship Game against Houston on December 4, though where that game will be played is yet to be determined.