Despite working through the typical first-day hiccups on both sides of the ball, Satterfield was impressed with the leadership of fifth-year quarterback JC French IV: “I think it shows up in his poise. I think he’s real calm when he’s out on the field. It’s chaotic and hectic, a lot of things going on, and it doesn’t bother him. I really like how his poise is and demeanor and how he goes out and plays. I thought he had some good snaps today, some good passes, some good completions, and some good decisions.”
French, who enters his first year at UC with 26 starts under his belt from Georgia Southern, told the media after practice that this offense is as connected as any that he has been a part of during his career: “I feel really comfortable within the offense and with my teammates. I just feel like we are a really connected group, and it was fun today.”
Now entering his fourth season at the helm of Cincinnati Football, Satterfield will have a strong mix of experienced returning players and talented newcomers at his disposal, but he knows the core strength of the team rests with his front five on offense: “As an offensive line, we always talk about five playing as one. They have to play together, and they're a tight group. They really understand each other, and the communication has got to be verbal, but there's a lot of communication through just hand signals. They just know because they've played together so long. I feel like they've had a lot of good work together and they're confident in their ability. On top of that, they're nasty. They get after it, they're physical, and that's what you want as an offensive line.”
Forty-six new faces hit the field for the first practice at Nippert on Wednesday—including 22 transfers and 24 scholarship freshmen—highlighting the newest crop of Bearcats in 2026. The transfer portal class features All-Sun Belt quarterback JC French (Georgia Southern), wide receivers JV Gibson (Oklahoma) and Larenzo Fenner (South Dakota), running backs Cole Tabb (Stanford) and Gi’Bran Payne (Notre Dame), HBCU All-American edge defender Thomas Johnson (12 sacks), and All-MAC safety MJ Cannon (Bowling Green), among several potential starters and stars.
One of Nation’s Best Offensive Lines Will Set the Tone
Cincinnati’s offensive line stands as the clear strength of the team heading into the season. The unit returns three starters from last year's Joe Moore Award semifinalist group: preseason All-America left guard Evan Tengesdahl, alongside veteran All-Big 12 selections Joe Cotton (left tackle) and Taran Tyo (right guard). Tengesdahl, a Dayton native, enters the year as PFF’s highest-rated guard in the Big 12 after earning Third-Team AP All-American and First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025.
In 2025, the Bearcats allowed the fewest sacks (8) and tackles for loss (43) of any Power Four team, while ranking third nationally in yards per carry (5.7) and eighth in yards per play (6.9). Demonstrating complete confidence in the group, offensive line coach Nic Cardwell was promoted to co-offensive coordinator, and the Bearcats refrained from adding a single offensive lineman via the transfer portal, relying instead on a deep rotation ready to step up behind Tengesdahl, Tyo, and Cotton.
Coaching Staff Updates
On offense, offensive line coach Nic Cardwell and quarterbacks coach Pete Thomas have been promoted to co-offensive coordinators. Cardwell has coached an All-American in each of his three seasons at UC, leading a unit that allowed the fewest sacks and tackles for loss among Power Four teams last fall. Additionally, Vijay Stingley steps into the wide receivers coach role after leading the development of Cyrus Allen and Jeff Caldwell, while David Rowe joins the staff to direct the secondary following coaching stops at Rutgers and Houston.
On defense, veteran coordinator Nate Woody arrives to reshape the unit, shifting the Bearcats back to an aggressive 3-4 scheme following the departure of Tyson Veidt. Woody previously paired with Satterfield during his Appalachian State's rise before spending the last six seasons at Army, where his defenses led the nation in total defense in 2020, finished in the national top 15 three times, and paced the AAC in defense each of the last two years.
Satterfield, Bearcats Continue Upward Trajectory Entering Year 4
Cincinnati has improved by two wins each season under Satterfield, climbing from 3-9 in its first Big 12 season to 5-7 in Year 2 and 7-6 in 2025, including the program's first bowl appearance as a Power Four school. The Bearcats opened 2025 at 7-1 and climbed as high as No. 17 in the AP Poll, showing clear progress for the second straight year despite a late-season slide. The season featured a 38-30 win over No. 14 Iowa State, UC’s highest-ranked home victory since 2006.
Exciting Schedule at Historic Nippert Stadium
Cincinnati hosts six games at historic Nippert Stadium in 2026, opening with Boston College (Sept. 5) and Western Carolina (Sept. 12). Big 12 home opponents include Kansas State (Sept. 26), Texas Tech (Oct. 24 – Homecoming), Utah (Oct. 31), and Colorado (Nov. 21).
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