Behind the Bearcats at the Super Bowl: Bryan Cook, Kansas City Chiefs

Cincinnati Athletics features more than 450 student-athletes who are doing incredible things on and off the field. Some will go pro in sports. Some will go on to do great things in business, medicine, or other professional fields. All will be Bearcats for Life. These are their stories.

Kansas City Chiefs rookie safety Bryan Cook not only earned Third Team All-America honors as a hard-hitting safety for the 2021 College Football Playoff-qualifying Bearcats' team in 2021, he also received his bachelor's degree (Digital Media Collaborative) and collected Academic All-America Second Team accolades as a senior. 

Now, the Cincinnati native, who starred at Mount Healthy High School and Howard University before transferring to UC, is finding success in the NFL.

Cook famously received only one scholarship offer coming out of high school and now will play in the Super Bowl on Sunday. He finished with 33 tackles in 16 games in the regular season this fall and tied his career-high with four stops in the AFC Championship Game. His pass deflection led to a fourth quarter interception in the game.

He credits UC, and much of the Athletic Department's support staff, for preparing him for success at the next level.

We caught up with Cook on Monday night at Super Bowl LVII Opening Night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Ariz., as he prepares to play in the biggest game of his life – just one year removed from walking the campus at the University of Cincinnati. 

Learn more about Bryan Cook below:

Coming from UC, how incredible has your first season in the NFL been?
"It has been incredible. UC prepped me the best way they could, and it helped me in this transition to where I am now. I appreciate that. As far as the help that I got from the guys, team and coaches in the league now, the whole year has been incredible for me." 

Big Super Bowl for the Bearcats, obviously you and Travis and Jason Kelce. What has that been like?
"It has been dope. They are brothers, they have a whole podcast together. Seeing them at that level having fun and enjoying the game, as a fan, that's dope. It's a great thing that they have going on. I'm happy for both of them. Their mom can't lose. And for me, I get to be a part of it and that's all that matters." 

You made perhaps the biggest defensive play in the AFC Championship Game, making a pass deflection on a pass from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow that led to an interception and helped vault the Chiefs to the Super Bowl with a 23-20 win. What was going through your mind on that play? 
"We need to get off the field. When the opportunity presented itself, I made a play so that is all I can be grateful for. Then Josh (Williams) was there to make the pick. It was phenomenal. Plays happen when you run to the ball."

What is a favorite memory from your time at Cincinnati?  
"That's a tough [question]. I think it was after the Alabama game. I looked across the room, and I see guys that outside of football are destined for greatness. I was eager to learn from my fellow teammates Coby [Bryant], Ahmad [Gardner], Desmond [Ridder], and the list goes on and on. Seeing them develop and playing with them for the last time, I was like, 'dang now I get to watch you go off and do your thing.' I experienced it firsthand. Sitting in that moment and realizing that we helped an organization as a whole and put a stamp on it. That was a beautiful moment for us because you never hear about smaller schools being in the Final Four. Even the fact that we got to that point, it gave us the respect that we needed. Now guys are balling out in the league. It is a beautiful thing to see. That is part of the best memory that I have. When it is all said and done, that is what I was left with – the experiences and comradery we had with one another was once in a lifetime."

How did Cincinnati prepare you to have success in the NFL? 
"On the field, it came with the games, media and things like that. As far as life, I got my degree. The support system that Cincinnati has – Keri Thoman, she was so helpful when I first came into the door. They were so inviting of me to develop within the organization and program, that was a major welcoming for me that I got to experience."  

That DB room you were in, how cool is it to see the success that you not only had but also Coby Bryant and Ahmad Gardner?  
"I got to see it before you saw it. I got to work with it, waking up and lifting together. I saw the guys every day putting in the effort, work and energy. Now I see it all come to fruition; it is beautiful to see. I appreciate the time and experience that I got with them. They are all out there doing great things and I could not be prouder to call them my teammates and brothers. It's a battle out on that field. It is a brotherhood that is unbreakable."