Cincinnati’s football program went through a lot of change last year.
The Bearcats had a new head coach in Scott Satterfield. They had a new conference, too, moving from the American Athletic to the Big 12 last summer.
Cincy also had to adjust to something else that was new: losing.
This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season and in this installment we look at Cincinnati, which will visit the Buffs in Boulder on Oct. 26.
One of the best teams in the AAC under previous coach Luke Fickell, Cincinnati stumbled in its jump to a power conference last year, finishing 3-9 (1-8 Big 12). After a 2-0 start, the Bearcats went 1-9 the rest of the way.
“We learned a lot and we’re still learning and we still have a ways to go with that because when you make that transition up, it takes several years in order to get your roster right, to be able to be competitive with guys that have been recruiting at that level for a long time,” Satterfield said in a recent interview on Next Up with Adam Breneman. “I think that’s probably the biggest difference.”
To Satterfield’s credit, he kept the Bearcats fairly competitive in his first season in the Big 12. Four losses came by eight points or less, but they also lost four times by at least 20.
To be even more competitive this year, Cincinnati will lean on a talented ground attack and hope that new quarterback Brendan Sorsby can spark the passing game.
Cincinnati ranked sixth nationally in rushing last year (217.1 yards per game) and returns top running back Corey Kiner (1,047 yards) and all five starting linemen. They also added transfer running backs Evan Pryor from Ohio State and Chance Williams, who rushed for 890 yards last year at Grambling State.
Sorsby is likely to take over at quarterback after transferring from Indiana. He was a part-time starter for the Hoosiers last year as a redshirt freshman. He will benefit from having top receiver Xzavier Henderson back, as well as several transfers.
The Bearcats averaged 24.1 points per game last year (86th nationally), but the tools are there to increase that number.
Defensively, Cincinnati gave up 30.0 points per game (102nd) and there will be a lot of changes on that side of the ball. Only four starters are back and Tyson Veidt – the linebackers coach at Iowa State the past eight years – is the new coordinator.
The defensive line and secondary were focal points in the transfer portal as the Bearcats look to improve on that side of the ball.
Satterfield understands the process Cincinnati is going through, but believes this was a good offseason for the program.
“Fortunately a lot of our better players came back and they’ll tell you this was the hardest winter they ever went through and it needed to be,” he said. “We’re in some growing pains right now but we’re gonna work our way through that and get to, hopefully, where we’re a top 25 team every year.”
Cincinnati may not be there yet, but Satterfield said the program – which is getting a new, $134 million practice facility – is working to get there.
“Our goal each and every year is to go play for the Big 12 championship and win that and that’s to get to Dallas,” he said. “That’s our ultimate goal and that’s what we’re striving to do.”
Cincinnati Bearcats
Head coach: Scott Satterfield, 2nd season (3-9; 79-57 career)
2023 season: 3-9, 1-8 Big 12
Series with CU: Colorado leads 1-0
The Game
Who: Cincinnati Bearcats at Colorado Buffaloes
When: Saturday, Oct. 26, time TBA
Where: Folsom Field in Boulder
5 Guys to Watch
DL Dontay Corleone: The top defender for the Bearcats, he was second-team All-Big 12 last year after posting 39 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He has 83 tackles and six sacks in two seasons. His status is unclear, though, as it was announced this past week that he is out indefinitely after being treated for blood clots in his lungs.
WR Xzavier Henderson: Led the Bearcats in catches (58) and receiving yards (782) last season, earning all-conference honorable mention. He also averaged 17.7 yards on kickoff returns. From 2020-22, he played at Florida, catching 73 passes for 835 yards and five touchdowns.
RB Corey Kiner: Had a breakout season in 2023, rushing for 1,047 yards and five touchdowns on 192 carries (5.5 yards per carry). In his career, he has 1,733 yards and 12 touchdowns, including 324 yards and two touchdowns at LSU in 2021.
QB Brendan Sorsby: The Indiana transfer comes to the Bearcats looking to become the full-time starter. Last year for the Hoosiers, he completed 57.2% of his passes for 1,587 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 286 yards and four touchdowns.
CB Jordan Young: The lone returning starter in the secondary, he had 34 tackles, one interception and six passes broken up last year. A former four-star recruit, he spent two seasons at Florida before transferring to Cincinnati.
Good to know
• CU won the only previous meeting with the Bearcats, 56-14, in Boulder on Sept. 16, 1972.
• Prior to last year, Cincinnati had a dominant, five-year run in the American Athletic Conference. From 2018-22, the Bearcats went 53-11 with two conference titles, four top-25 finishes and five bowl appearances.
• Before taking the job at Cincinnati, Satterfield was the head coach at Louisville from 2019-22 (25-24, three bowls) and at Appalachian State from 2013-18 (51-24, four bowls).
• In the final home game of 2022, Cincinnati lost to Tulane, 27-24, ending a 32-game winning streak at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats then went 1-6 at home last year, with the lone win against Eastern Kentucky in the season opener. Cincinnati comes into this year on a six-game home losing streak.
• All five starting offensive linemen from last year are back, including two that earned All-Big 12 honors: right guard Luke Kandra (second team) and center Gavin Gerhardt (honorable mention). The starting group was together for each of the last 11 games in 2023.
• Punter Mason Fletcher earned all-conference honorable mention last season, averaging 43.0 yards per punt and landing 23 of 45 kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Kicker Carter Brown is also back after hitting 15-of-19 field goals (79%) with a long of 54 yards.
Portal movement
It’s been a very busy offseason for the Bearcats, who lost 25 players to the portal, including starting safeties Deshawn Pace and Bryon Threats to UCF. They were the Bearcats’ top two tacklers last year. Third-leading tackler Dorian Jones transferred to Virginia, tight end Chamon Metayer is at Arizona State (after spending the spring at CU) and backup running back Myles Montgomery is also now at UCF. Cincy also brought 25 players in from the portal, led by Sorsby. Receivers Tony Johnson (FAU), Jamoi Mayes (Chattanooga) and Tyrin Smith (UTEP) could all push for starting roles. Johnson caught 37 passes for FAU, while Mayes had 1,037 yards and Smith had 1,039 yards in 2022 before missing most of last year. Tight end Joe Royer (Ohio State) could also be a starter. Defensive linemen Mikah Coleman (Eastern Michigan) and Darian Varner (Wisconsin) should both be in the rotation, while linebacker Jared Bartlett (West Virginia) could boost the pass rush. The safety room was completely rebuilt, with Derrick Canteen (Virginia Tech), Mekhi Miller (New Mexico State) and Kye Stokes (Ohio State) all possible starters.
