TicketsCINCINNATI – From replacing quarterback Desmond Ridder to new coaches, five transfers and eight early enrollees, there will be plenty of storylines during Cincinnati football spring practices this March and April.
Cincinnati held its first spring practice on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.
UC will practice four times before spring break begins on March 12 and return for 11 more practices, including the annual Spring Game on April 9 at 1 p.m. at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats have won the last two American Athletic Conference Championships, but will lose several players who will be lining up on Sundays next fall. Still sixth-year head coach Luke Fickell says the standard and expectations stay the same for the program.
"Obviously, things are going to be different, but the expectations aren't going to be different," Fickell said. "How you go about them may be different. If you think we're going to be exact the same offense without Desmond Ridder (former UC quarterback), you'd be crazy, but we are going to expect the same results. Are we going to be exactly the same defensively without Coby (Bryant, former UC cornerback) and Ahmad (Gardner, former UC cornerback) and Myjai (Sanders, former UC defensive lineman)? No, but we expect the same results. And if you're really good, you say, 'how do we become better?' Well, how are we going to be a better offense without Desmond Ridder? We might not be the same, but we're going to be a little bit different. And we've got to find ways to be better.
"So yes, the expectation doesn't change, the train continues to move forward. It's not slowing down, it's not stopping. The run is not over. Nobody that sits in these seats within these walls thinks that."
The Bearcats added three new coaches and promoted four coaches to new titles since playing in the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31. Fickell announced on Thursday that Walter Stewart – a former UC team captain and all-conference defensive lineman – will move from coaching outside linebackers to coaching defensive line with the departure of Greg Scruggs from the staff. Stewart joined the staff last month after coaching the defensive line at Temple most recently.
Cincinnati kicks off the 2022 season on Sept. 3 at Arkansas and welcomes Kennesaw State on Sept. 10 before facing Miami (Ohio) at Paul Brown Stadium on Sept. 17 and hosting Indiana on Sept. 24. Fans can join the T.E.A.M. by making a season ticket deposit with the Bearcats Ticket Office here.
SETTING THE STAGE
12 STARTERS RETURN
The Bearcats return 12 starters on offense and defense as well as punter Mason Fletcher.
Returning Starters
EIGHT AT THE COMBINE
Luke Fickell has coached more than 40 NFL Draft picks and he will certainly add 8-10 more at the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Bearcats set a school record with eight invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with QB Desmond Ridder, RB Jerome Ford, WR Alec Pierce, DE Myjai Sanders, LB Darrian Beavers, CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB Coby Bryan and Bryan Cook all getting the invitation.
FICKELL WINS 7 NATIONAL COACHING HONORS
Luke Fickell was the consensus national coach of the year after leading UC to a 13-1 record and the College Football Playoff.
Fickell National Coach of the Year Awards in 2021:
Luke Fickell wasted no time vaulting Cincinnati to among the nation's best programs. After going 4-8 in Year 1 of the Fickell Era in 2017, Cincinnati is 44-7 over the last four seasons, winning 86.3% of its games since 2018 to rank among the top five programs in all of the FBS.
FICKELL JUST SIX WINS AWAY FROM MOST IN UC HISTORY
Luke Fickell's 48 wins are already the third-most in Cincinnati history and he needs just six wins to surpass Rick Minter as the winningest coach in Cincinnati football history.
53-63-1 Rick Minter (10 seasons)
50-13-1 Sid Gillman (six seasons)
48-15 Luke Fickell (five seasons)
TUCKER LOOKS TO LEAD
Senior wide receiver Tre Tucker has already proven to be one of the nation's top kick returners after leading the AAC with a 29.9 kick return average en route to all-conference honors in 2020. He has two career kick return touchdowns, running for a score versus USF in 2020 and a momentum shifting 99-yard score at Indiana in 2021. The 5-9, 175-pounder from Akron, Ohio, has 60 career receptions and five touchdown catches.
TOP 10 SCORING DEFENSE IN 2020, 2021 AND ..
Cincinnati has had one of the nation's top 10 scoring defenses each of the last two seasons and three of the last four years, ranking No. 5 in 2021 (16.9) and No. 8 (16.8) in 2020. UC ranked No. 24 (20.6) in 2019 and No. 8 in 2018 (17.2).
TIGHT END TANDEM
The Bearcats return arguably the nation's top tight end tandem in senior Leonard Taylor and Josh Whyle. Whyle, a third-team PFF All-American in 2020 and a Honorable Mention All-AAC selection from Lasalle High School in Cincinnati, has 12 career touchdown catches over the last two years. The duo combined for 10 TD receptions in 2021 with Taylor, a former prep quarterback from Springfield, Ohio, hauling in four scores.
PRATER AND BRYANT LOOK TO REPLACE RIDDER
Redshirt sophomore Evan Prater will compete with transfer Ben Bryant for the starting quarterback job vacated by Desmond Ridder, who won 44 games and was a two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year. Bryant backed up Ridder four three years before transferring to Eastern Michigan, while Prater has served as a backup the last two years. In 2021, Prater completed 5-of-11 passes for two touchdowns and an interception to go along with 105 rushing yards and two scores on 12 totes in seven games. Bryant played in 16 games over three seasons with one start for UC from 2018 to 2020. He passed for 553 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Bearcats before passing for more than 3,121 yards and 14 touchdowns at Eastern Michigan in 2021.
THE 'NICKEL' IS BACK TO LEAD PASS DEFENSE
Senior defensive backs Arquon Bush and Ja'Von Hicks return to lead the Cincinnati pass defense. Bush, who started at nickelback last season, has made 23 career starts and tallied 84 tackles, 17 pass breakups and seven interceptions in four seasons. Hicks has started 29 games at safety. He led the AAC with five interceptions in 2019 and he has seven picks in this career. Cincinnati had the nation's best pass defense in 2021, finishing No. 1 in the country in pass efficiency defense (103.37), No. 2 in passing yards allowed (169.2), No. 3 in interceptions (19) and No. 4 in opponent completion % (54.0).
UPDATING THE COACHING STAFF
Luke Fickell made several changes to his coaching staff, most notably promoting Bearcat legend Gino Guidugli to offensive coordinator. Guidugli, UC's all-time leading passer and a member of the Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor, had been the quarterbacks coach since 2018 and the passing game coordinator since 2020. Also returning to UC is former team captain defensive lineman Walter Stewart, who will coach the defensive line after serving in same role at Temple and Northern Illinois most recently, as well as Kerry Coombs, a former Ohio State defensive coordinator/assistant and UC assistant and state champion prep coach from the 'Queen City.'
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Cincinnati held its first spring practice on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.
UC will practice four times before spring break begins on March 12 and return for 11 more practices, including the annual Spring Game on April 9 at 1 p.m. at Nippert Stadium.
The Bearcats have won the last two American Athletic Conference Championships, but will lose several players who will be lining up on Sundays next fall. Still sixth-year head coach Luke Fickell says the standard and expectations stay the same for the program.
"Obviously, things are going to be different, but the expectations aren't going to be different," Fickell said. "How you go about them may be different. If you think we're going to be exact the same offense without Desmond Ridder (former UC quarterback), you'd be crazy, but we are going to expect the same results. Are we going to be exactly the same defensively without Coby (Bryant, former UC cornerback) and Ahmad (Gardner, former UC cornerback) and Myjai (Sanders, former UC defensive lineman)? No, but we expect the same results. And if you're really good, you say, 'how do we become better?' Well, how are we going to be a better offense without Desmond Ridder? We might not be the same, but we're going to be a little bit different. And we've got to find ways to be better.
"So yes, the expectation doesn't change, the train continues to move forward. It's not slowing down, it's not stopping. The run is not over. Nobody that sits in these seats within these walls thinks that."
The Bearcats added three new coaches and promoted four coaches to new titles since playing in the College Football Playoff on Dec. 31. Fickell announced on Thursday that Walter Stewart – a former UC team captain and all-conference defensive lineman – will move from coaching outside linebackers to coaching defensive line with the departure of Greg Scruggs from the staff. Stewart joined the staff last month after coaching the defensive line at Temple most recently.
Cincinnati kicks off the 2022 season on Sept. 3 at Arkansas and welcomes Kennesaw State on Sept. 10 before facing Miami (Ohio) at Paul Brown Stadium on Sept. 17 and hosting Indiana on Sept. 24. Fans can join the T.E.A.M. by making a season ticket deposit with the Bearcats Ticket Office here.
SETTING THE STAGE
- Led by sixth-year head coach Luke Fickell, the Cincinnati football team will look to reload following a 13-1 campaign that saw the Bearcats start 13-0 for the first time ever, capture a second-consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship and earn an appearance in the College Football Playoff Semifinals at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
- Cincinnati loses several talented players, including quarterback Desmond Ridder (44 wins, third in FBS history), running back Jerome Ford (20 TDs) and cornerbacks Coby Bryant (Jim Thorpe Award winner) and Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner (consensus All-American).
- However, Cincinnati returns 12 starters, including three all-conference offensive linemen (OT Dylan O'Quinn, OG Lorenz Metz, C Jake Renfro) and honorable mention All-AAC selections LB Deshawn Pace and TE Josh Whyle.
- The Bearcats will aim to defend their AAC Championship behind a mix of veterans and new faces from Cincinnati's recent recruiting classes that all ranked first in the league. Cincinnati has finished in the AP's Top 25 the last four seasons, including No. 8 in 2020 and No. 4 in 2021.
12 STARTERS RETURN
The Bearcats return 12 starters on offense and defense as well as punter Mason Fletcher.
Returning Starters
- LT James Tunstall (11 starts, former FCS All-American at Stony Brook)
- LG Jeremy Cooper (21 career starts, two-year starter from Chicago)
- C Jake Renfro (19 career starts, Freshman All-American in 2020, All-AAC First Team in 2021)
- RG Lorenz Metz (22 starts, Second Team Academic A-A, Neuötting, Germany native started career as DT)
- RT Dylan O'Quinn (21 consecutive starts, Toledo, Ohio, native)
- TE Josh Whyle (two-time All-AAC, PFF third team All-American in 2020, 12 TDs in 2020-21)
- TE Leonard Taylor (20 career starts, 6 career TDs)
- WR Tyler Scott (8 starts in 2021, big-play threat with 5 TDs, 17.3 ypc)
- DE Malik Vann (Cincinnati native, 11 career starts, 21 career TFLs)
- LB Ty Van Fossen (13 career starts, 70 tackles and seven TFLs in 2021)
- NB Arquon Bush (23 career starts, 7 career INTs, 17 career PBUs)
- S Ja'Von Hicks (29 career starts, led AAC with five INTs in 2019, seven career INTs, seven career fumble recoveries)
EIGHT AT THE COMBINE
Luke Fickell has coached more than 40 NFL Draft picks and he will certainly add 8-10 more at the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Bearcats set a school record with eight invitations to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with QB Desmond Ridder, RB Jerome Ford, WR Alec Pierce, DE Myjai Sanders, LB Darrian Beavers, CB Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB Coby Bryan and Bryan Cook all getting the invitation.
FICKELL WINS 7 NATIONAL COACHING HONORS
Luke Fickell was the consensus national coach of the year after leading UC to a 13-1 record and the College Football Playoff.
Fickell National Coach of the Year Awards in 2021:
- The Home Depot National Coach of the Year
- Werner Ladder AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year
- Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year
- Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year presented by the FWAA
- The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year
- Sporting News Coach of the Year
- Walter Camp Foundation All-American Coach of the Year
Luke Fickell wasted no time vaulting Cincinnati to among the nation's best programs. After going 4-8 in Year 1 of the Fickell Era in 2017, Cincinnati is 44-7 over the last four seasons, winning 86.3% of its games since 2018 to rank among the top five programs in all of the FBS.
FICKELL JUST SIX WINS AWAY FROM MOST IN UC HISTORY
Luke Fickell's 48 wins are already the third-most in Cincinnati history and he needs just six wins to surpass Rick Minter as the winningest coach in Cincinnati football history.
53-63-1 Rick Minter (10 seasons)
50-13-1 Sid Gillman (six seasons)
48-15 Luke Fickell (five seasons)
TUCKER LOOKS TO LEAD
Senior wide receiver Tre Tucker has already proven to be one of the nation's top kick returners after leading the AAC with a 29.9 kick return average en route to all-conference honors in 2020. He has two career kick return touchdowns, running for a score versus USF in 2020 and a momentum shifting 99-yard score at Indiana in 2021. The 5-9, 175-pounder from Akron, Ohio, has 60 career receptions and five touchdown catches.
TOP 10 SCORING DEFENSE IN 2020, 2021 AND ..
Cincinnati has had one of the nation's top 10 scoring defenses each of the last two seasons and three of the last four years, ranking No. 5 in 2021 (16.9) and No. 8 (16.8) in 2020. UC ranked No. 24 (20.6) in 2019 and No. 8 in 2018 (17.2).
TIGHT END TANDEM
The Bearcats return arguably the nation's top tight end tandem in senior Leonard Taylor and Josh Whyle. Whyle, a third-team PFF All-American in 2020 and a Honorable Mention All-AAC selection from Lasalle High School in Cincinnati, has 12 career touchdown catches over the last two years. The duo combined for 10 TD receptions in 2021 with Taylor, a former prep quarterback from Springfield, Ohio, hauling in four scores.
PRATER AND BRYANT LOOK TO REPLACE RIDDER
Redshirt sophomore Evan Prater will compete with transfer Ben Bryant for the starting quarterback job vacated by Desmond Ridder, who won 44 games and was a two-time AAC Offensive Player of the Year. Bryant backed up Ridder four three years before transferring to Eastern Michigan, while Prater has served as a backup the last two years. In 2021, Prater completed 5-of-11 passes for two touchdowns and an interception to go along with 105 rushing yards and two scores on 12 totes in seven games. Bryant played in 16 games over three seasons with one start for UC from 2018 to 2020. He passed for 553 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions for the Bearcats before passing for more than 3,121 yards and 14 touchdowns at Eastern Michigan in 2021.
THE 'NICKEL' IS BACK TO LEAD PASS DEFENSE
Senior defensive backs Arquon Bush and Ja'Von Hicks return to lead the Cincinnati pass defense. Bush, who started at nickelback last season, has made 23 career starts and tallied 84 tackles, 17 pass breakups and seven interceptions in four seasons. Hicks has started 29 games at safety. He led the AAC with five interceptions in 2019 and he has seven picks in this career. Cincinnati had the nation's best pass defense in 2021, finishing No. 1 in the country in pass efficiency defense (103.37), No. 2 in passing yards allowed (169.2), No. 3 in interceptions (19) and No. 4 in opponent completion % (54.0).
UPDATING THE COACHING STAFF
Luke Fickell made several changes to his coaching staff, most notably promoting Bearcat legend Gino Guidugli to offensive coordinator. Guidugli, UC's all-time leading passer and a member of the Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor, had been the quarterbacks coach since 2018 and the passing game coordinator since 2020. Also returning to UC is former team captain defensive lineman Walter Stewart, who will coach the defensive line after serving in same role at Temple and Northern Illinois most recently, as well as Kerry Coombs, a former Ohio State defensive coordinator/assistant and UC assistant and state champion prep coach from the 'Queen City.'
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati Athletics, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati Athletics on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.