2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football
2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Head coach	Luke Fickell (5th season);
Offensive coordinator	Mike Denbrock (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Mike Tressel (1st season)
Home stadium	Nippert Stadium; (Capacity: 40,000)
	Seasons ← 2020 2022 →

2021 American Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 4 Cincinnati y$^	8	–	0	13	–	1
No. 17 Houston y	8	–	0	12	–	2
UCF	5	–	3	9	–	4
East Carolina	5	–	3	7	–	5
Tulsa	5	–	3	7	–	6
SMU	4	–	4	8	–	4
Memphis	3	–	5	6	–	6
Navy	3	–	5	4	–	8
Tulane	1	–	7	2	–	10
South Florida	1	–	7	2	–	10
Temple	1	–	7	3	–	9
Championship: Cincinnati 35, Houston 20
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team will represented the University of Cincinnati in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearcats will play their home games at Nippert Stadium and competed as members of the American Athletic Conference. They will be led by fifth-year head coach Luke Fickell.

Previous season

In 2020, the Bearcats finished with a 9–1 (6–0 AAC) record, winning the AAC Championship Game against Tulsa. It was the first AAC championship in program history.^[1] After being ranked 8th in the final College Football Playoff rankings, the Bearcats were selected to participate in the Peach Bowl as part of the New Year's Six against Georgia. The Bearcats lost to the Bulldogs 24–21.^[2]

Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Dontay Corleone DT	Cincinnati, Ohio	Colerain High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	295 lb (134 kg)	Oct 19, 2019
Dontay Corleone DT	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Brady Lichtenberg QB	Toledo, Ohio	St. John's Jesuit High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Dec 16, 2019
Brady Lichtenberg QB	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Myles Montgomery RB	Neptune Beach, Florida	Duncan U. Fletcher High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Mar 6, 2020
Myles Montgomery RB	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Luke Collinsworth OT	Brookville, Indiana	East Central High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Apr 3, 2020
Luke Collinsworth OT	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jalen Monrrow DE	Lafayette, Indiana	Jefferson High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	258 lb (117 kg)	Apr 7, 2020
Jalen Monrrow DE	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Iesa Jarmon CB	Cincinnati, Ohio	La Salle High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Apr 10, 2020
Iesa Jarmon CB	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Leroy Bowers S	Cincinnati, Ohio	Princeton High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Apr 12, 2020
Leroy Bowers S	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Armorion Smith S	Ecorse, Michigan	River Rouge High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Apr 17, 2020
Armorion Smith S	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Mao Glynn OG	Cincinnati, Ohio	Walnut Hills High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Apr 18, 2020
Mao Glynn OG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Will Pauling WR	Flossmoor, Illinois	Homewood-Flossmoor High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Apr 23, 2020
Will Pauling WR	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Landon Fickell OG	Cincinnati, Ohio	Archbishop Moeller High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Apr 24, 2020
Landon Fickell OG	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jack Dingle OLB	Louisville, Kentucky	Trinity High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Apr 25, 2020
Jack Dingle OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Mason Fletcher P	Melbourne, Australia	ProKick Australia	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	N/A	May 14, 2020
Mason Fletcher P	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports:
Malik Rainey ATH	Bolingbrook, Illinois	Bolingbrook High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	May 15, 2020
Malik Rainey ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Caleb Schmitz ATH	Lititz, Pennsylvania	Warwick High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	May 22, 2020
Caleb Schmitz ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jah-mal Williams DE	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Cardinal Gibbons High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Aug 12, 2020
Jah-mal Williams DE	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Bryon Threats ATH	Dublin, Ohio	Dublin Coffman High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Aug 14, 2020
Bryon Threats ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Chamon Metayer TE	Miami, Florida	North Miami High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Sep 26, 2020
Chamon Metayer TE	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Christian Lowery K	Kennesaw, Georgia	Harrison High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	156 lb (71 kg)	Oct 13, 2020
Christian Lowery K	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Jonah Lytle CB	Canton, Ohio	McKinley High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oct 19, 2020
Jonah Lytle CB	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Cameron Junior OLB	Middletown, Ohio	Middletown High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 23, 2020
Cameron Junior OLB	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Zeiqui Lawton DE	Charleston, West Virginia	South Charleston High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	Nov 7, 2020
Zeiqui Lawton DE	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Isiah Cox ATH	Alcoa, Tennessee	Alcoa High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 8, 2020
Isiah Cox ATH	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Drew Donley WR	Frisco, Texas	Lebanon Trail High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Dec 14, 2020
Drew Donley WR	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Robert Jackson DT	Warminster, Pennsylvania	Archbishop Wood High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Dec 15, 2020
Robert Jackson DT	Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 34 247Sports: 44
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2021 Cincinnati Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021. "2021 Players Commitments – Cincinnati". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021. "2021 Cincinnati Bearcats football team". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 6, 2021.

Incoming transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Prev. School
Jowon Briggs	DT	6' 2"	295	Junior	Cincinnati, Ohio	Virginia
James Tunstall	OT	6' 6"	329	Junior (Redshirt)	Indian Head, Maryland	Stony Brook

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV
September 4	TBD	Miami (OH)*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)
September 11	TBD	Murray State*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH
September 18	TBD	at Indiana*	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN
October 2	TBD	at Notre Dame*	Notre Dame Stadium South Bend, IN	NBC
TBD	TBD	SMU	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH
TBD	TBD	Temple	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH
TBD	TBD	Tulsa	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH
TBD	TBD	UCF	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH
TBD	TBD	at East Carolina	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium Greenville, NC
TBD	TBD	at South Florida	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL
TBD	TBD	at Navy	Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Annapolis, MD
TBD	TBD	at Tulane	Yulman Stadium New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 24 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Schedule Source:^[3]

Personnel

Roster and staff

2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`0`	Charles McClelland	Jr
WR	`1`	Blue Smith	Jr
WR	`2`	Jayshon Jackson	Sr
QB	`3`	Evan Prater	Fr
WR	`5`	Jordan Jones	Sr
WR	`8`	Michael Young	Sr
QB	`9`	Desmond Ridder	Sr
TE	`11`	Leonard Taylor	Sr
WR	`12`	Alec Pierce	Sr
QB	`14`	Jack Perry	Jr
WR	`15`	Garyn Prater	Sr
QB	`16`	Michael Lindauer	So
WR	`17`	Marquez Bell	Fr
TE	`18`	Cameron Jones	So
WR	`20`	Jadon Thompson	Fr
WR	`21`	Tre Tucker	Jr
WR	`21`	Tyler Scott	Fr
RB	`22`	Ryan Montgomery	Jr
RB	`24`	Jerome Ford	So
WR	`27`	Norman Love	Fr
WR	`29`	Ashton Koller	So
RB	`30`	Michael Kopaygorodsky	Sr
WR	`31`	Nate Meyer	So
WR	`32`	Jiair Thomas	So
RB	`33`	Ethan Wright	Fr
TE	`47`	Nate Lawler	Jr
OL	`50`	Dylan O'Quinn	Jr
OL	`51`	Lorenz Metz	Jr
OL	`52`	Jakari Robinson	Sr
OL	`53`	Gavin Gerhardt	Fr
OL	`56`	Jake Renfro	So
OL	`57`	Ben Blevins	Fr
OL	`60`	Joe Huber	Fr
OL	`62`	Zach Hummel	So
OL	`64`	Jake Burns	Fr
OL	`65`	Cody Lamb	Sr
OL	`66`	Ethan Voelker	Jr
OL	`67`	Jaxon Smith	Fr
OL	`68`	Kobe McAllister	Fr
OL	`70`	Joey Groeber	Jr
OL	`71`	Colin Woodside	Jr
OL	`72`	Jonathan Allen	So
OL	`73`	CJ Johnson	Jr
OL	`74`	Jeremy Cooper	Jr
OL	`75`	John Williams	Fr
OL	`76`	Marcelo Mendiola	So
OL	`77`	Vincent McConnell	Sr
WR	`80`	Chris Scott	Fr
TE	`81`	Josh Whyle	Jr
WR	`84`	Wyatt Fischer	Jr
TE	`86`	Jack Campbell	So
TE	`87`	Bruno Labelle	Sr
TE	`88`	Payten Singletary	Fr
WR	`89`	Bryant Johnson II	So

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
S	`1`	James Wiggins	Sr
LB	`2`	Wilson Huber	Sr
S	`3`	Ja'von Hicks	Sr
CB	`4`	Justin Harris	Jr
S	`6`	Bryan Cook	Sr
CB	`7`	Coby Bryant	Sr
CB	`9`	Arquon Bush	Jr
LB	`10`	Brody Ingle	Jr
CB	`11`	Sammy Anderson	Fr
CB	`12`	Ahmad Gardner	Jr
LB	`13`	Ty Van Fossen	Jr
CB	`14`	Todd Bumphis	Fr
CB	`15`	Taj Ward	Jr
CB	`18`	Josiah Robey	Sr
LB	`20`	Deshawn Pace	Fr
DE	`21`	Myjai Sanders	Sr
CB	`22`	DeArre McDonald	Fr
LB	`23`	Daved Jones Jr	Fr
LB	`24`	Jaheim Thomas	Fr
DE	`25`	Harrison Hill	Sr
CB	`26`	Phil Thomas	Fr
LB	`27`	Darrian Beavers	Sr
S	`29`	Jacob Dingle	Jr
CB	`30`	Alex Green	Fr
CB	`31`	Casey Kirk	Sr
S	`32`	James Camden	Fr
DE	`33`	Blake Bacevich	Jr
DT	`34`	Justin Wodtly	Fr
LB	`35`	Ryan Royer	Sr
S	`36`	Will Adams	Jr
DE	`37`	Steven Hawthorne	So
S	`38`	Jackson Welcsh	Fr
S	`39`	Jaquan Sheppard	Jr
LB	`40`	DeMarco Baker	Jr
LB	`41`	Joel Dublanko	Sr
DE	`42`	Malik Vann	Sr
LB	`44`	Mick Oakes	Jr
DT	`45`	Barak Faulk	Fr
LB	`46`	Grant Horvath	So
LB	`50`	Jackson Bruscianelli	So
DT	`52`	Daeshon Martin	Jr
DE	`54`	Izaiah Ruffin	So
DE	`57`	Ryan Mullaney	So
DE	`89`	Sterling Miles	Fr
DT	`90`	Jabari Taylor	Sr
DL	`91`	Miles Manigualt	So
DT	`92`	Curtis Brooks	Sr
DT	`94`	Chase Brown	Jr
DL	`95`	Cole Pelgen	So
DT	`96`	Dominique Perry	Fr
DT	`97`	Eric Phillips	So
DE	`98`	Mychal Keys	Jr
DT	`99`	Marcus Brown	Sr

Special teams }

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`16`	Luke Lundberg	So
K	`19`	Cole Smith	Sr
K	`39`	Bryce Burton	So
LS	`74`	Blake Bammann	Jr
K	`91`	Alex Bales	So
LS	`96`	Cayson Pfeiffer	So

Head coach

Luke Fickell (Ohio State) – 5th year

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Mike Denbrock (Grand Valley State) – 5th year
(Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)
Mike Tressel (Cornell (IA)) – 1st year
(Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
Gino Guidugli (Cincinnati) – 5th year
(Passing Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
Brian Mason (Denison) – 4th year
(Special Teams Coordinator)
Mike Brown (Liberty) – 3rd year
(Wide Receivers)
Ron Crook (West Liberty State) – 5th year
(Offensive Line)
Perry Eliano (Stephen F. Austin) – 2nd year
(Cornerbacks)
Colin Hitschler (Pennsylvania) – 2nd year
(Safeties)
Greg Scruggs (Louisville) – 2nd year
(Defensive Line)
TBD – 1st year
(Running Backs)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: January, 12 2021

Rankings

References

^ "No. 6 Cincinnati beats No. 20 Tulsa in rainy AAC title game". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
^ "Podlesny's FG lifts Georgia past Cincinnati in Peach Bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
^ "2021 Cincinnati Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[1] "No. 6 Cincinnati beats No. 20 Tulsa in rainy AAC title game". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[2] "Podlesny's FG lifts Georgia past Cincinnati in Peach Bowl". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[3] "2021 Cincinnati Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Cincinnati Bearcats football
Venues	League Park (1893–1900, 1904) Carson Field (1901–1923) Nippert Stadium (1924–1989, 1991–2013, 2015–present) Riverfront Stadium (1982–1986, 1990) Paul Brown Stadium (2010–2011, 2014)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Louisville (The Keg of Nails) Miami (Victory Bell) Memphis UCF West Virginia Xavier
Culture & lore	University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024