TicketsCINCINNATI -- The horn will sound Wednesday morning and officially begin Cincinnati's fall camp, another page in the first chapter of the Bearcats' inaugural Big 12 campaign and Scott Satterfield era.
The head coach was joined by associate head coach/defensive coordinator Bryan Brown and offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brad Glenn to discuss the start of camp.
Here are five takeaways from the season-opening press conference.
1. No fear of the unknown
Cincinnati has welcomed 33 newcomers, including 23 transfers. Satterfield commented that all of them took on a work mindset rather than trying to stand out. It is a lot for the staff and players to acquaint themselves, but it does provide a blank slate for those to confirm or re-establish their role in the program.
"We have a lot of new players too, we talked about it in Dallas (at Big 12 Media Days), we have one returning starter on offense," Satterfield said. "So, a lot of new faces, particularly on that side of the ball. Defensively, we have some guys back on defense that are really good, solid players, but also some guys that are new to some positions that are playing.
"(Linebacker) Dorian Jones and (offensive lineman) Luke Kandra are two guys that came over right away from Louisville that know how we do things and so they were very valuable to kind of spread the message in the locker room of 'here's what coach likes, here's how we do things.' That was extremely valuable and they're both good players.
2. Hanging out is a good thing
Being a student-athlete is a full-time job, beyond the hours planned out for workouts, film, meetings and practice. Satterfield cited All-American Dontay Corleone and fifth-year senior Jowon Briggs as those who visited him in his office his first day of work in December, then again the second day and several after that. The open-door policy has certainly started with an All-American and will hopefully pay dividends with the family culture of the program.
"When I first got here in December, they were some of the first two guys to walk in my office and introduce themselves," Satterfield said. "Then they came back the next day and then the next. Corleone would come in and say, 'I'm just hanging out.' This was back in December when he was injured so he really couldn't do a whole lot. He'd come from treatment and just come sit in there and hang out, which I love. I love when our guys come and want to hang out, want to come in our offices. and I think that's an extremely important.
3. New league, same really good line
Brown's Louisville unit produced one of the nation's top defenses last season: leading in sacks (50) and fourth down defense (.190), ranking third in takeaways (30), eighth in tackles for loss (97), No. 11 in scoring defense (19.2), No. 14 interceptions (15) and No. 24 in total defense (330.2).
Cincinnati returns its defensive line nucleus, undoubtedly its strongest unit. Corleone, as well as Briggs, fifth-year senior Eric Phillips and sixth-year senior Malik Vann, headline the group and are all Queen City natives (and sporting new numbers for fresh starts).
"One thing it has allowed me to do is to keep the same things we did this past season (at Louisville)," Brown said. "It also helped me to do things I couldn't do with last year's group. It gives me a lot of flexibility to do certain things that opposing teams haven't seen us do yet. It's exciting to work with this group. They take whatever we give them, and that's what I really like. This city is built on defense, and they take it to heart."
4. Triple-threat quarterback?
Glenn introduced a new mindset and vocabulary word: the triple-threat quarterback. Starter Emory Jones, a Florida graduate who started 20 games between there and Arizona State, is one of those. He has 33 touchdowns through the air and 14 on the ground – making him the perfect signal caller in the dual threat mold. But Glenn said the UC offense will be looking for more.
"Everyone says 'we want a dual-threat quarterback,' but we want the triple threat: the guy who can beat you with his arm, legs and mind," Glenn said. "Emory's learning of the offense and how we do things as a staff is something he spent a lot of time on in the spring and summer. He's still learning the playbook and getting comfortable with it...he has a great football IQ, and once he learns it like the back of his hand, he will be a great triple-threat."
5. Higher Ground: New to some, familiar to others
This summer marks the 25th for UC at Higher Ground Conference and Retreat Center in West Harrison, Indiana, and Satterfield will be the seventh head coach to lead the caravan. UC will spend approximately two weeks on site for a true training camp.
"I went out in the spring and got a chance to see it," Satterfield said. "I've never done anything like it, maybe when I was in high school. Over the years, I've seen NFL teams doing it. I've never really heard of a college team doing that. Even now, a lot of NFL teams don't do it. So, I think it's very unique. It's going to be an awesome team building opportunity."