TicketsCINCINNATI — Cincinnati seniors and West Side natives Dontay Corleone (defensive line) and Joe Royer (tight end) were named to the Big 12's Preseason All-Conference team, as announced Monday by the league.
The Colerain and Elder HS alumni, respectively, are also taking part in Tuesday's Big 12 Media Days, powered by Microsoft Copilot, alongside teammates Gavin Gerhardt, Brendan Sorsby and head coach Scott Satterfield.
A two-time All-American, Corleone earned his third consecutive all-conference nod last season, collecting First Team All-Big 12 honors. "The Godfather" logged 26 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks while overcoming a difficult offseason that saw him sidelined with blood clots for three months. Corleone returned to action on Sept. 3 last year and made an immediate impact.
His most recent accomplishment was being named a Walter Camp Preseason Second Team All-American.
A First Team All-Big 12 honoree in his first season at UC, Royer broke the single-season school record for receptions by a tight end with 50, besting Travis Kelce’s mark of 45 from 2012. Royer’s 50 catches went for 521 yards and he caught three touchdowns as well. He led all Big 12 tight ends in receptions and receiving yards last season.