Cincinnati Bearcats
Big 12
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #56
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 4.5 (#56)
- SP+ Offense
- 30.2
- SP+ Defense
- 26.4
- SRS
- 2.9
- FPI
- 3.7
- Elo
- 1471
- Talent
- 644
- Recruiting
- —
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
5.0p10 3.0 — p90 7.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.0% | |
| Make CFP | 0.0% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.0% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 5.1–6.9
Schedule
34th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
40th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
33rd
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsBoston College | -8.5 | 27-19 | +7.9 | 72% | — |
| 2 | vsWestern Carolina | FCS | 45-3* | +41.8 | 100% | — |
| 3 | vsMiami (OH) | -3.4 | 28-22 | +6.2 | 68% | — |
| 4 | vsKansas State | +7 | 22-27 | -4.5 | 39% | — |
| 5 | @Arizona | +12 | 21-33 | -12.5 | 19% | — |
| 7 | @West Virginia | -6.8 | 25-24 | +0.9 | 53% | — |
| 8 | vsTexas Tech | +27.6 | 20-40 | -20.6 | 7% | — |
| 9 | vsUtah | +22.2 | 21-35 | -14.4 | 16% | — |
| 10 | @Houston | +7.4 | 22-28 | -6.0 | 35% | — |
| 11 | @Iowa State | +9.9 | 20-28 | -7.9 | 29% | — |
| 12 | vsColorado | -8.3 | 25-22 | +3.5 | 60% | — |
| 13 | @BYU | +15.9 | 18-34 | -15.3 | 15% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 4
2026 · 64
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | JC French IV← Georgia Southern | JR | 6'1" | 200 | ★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Samaj Jones | FR | 5'11" | 207 | ★★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Brady Lichtenberg | SR | 6'1" | 200 | — |
| QB | — | Liam O'Brien← Pennsylvania | — | — | — | — |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Tawee Walker | SR | 5'8" | 218 | — |
| RB | 2nd | Zylan Perry← Louisiana | JR | 5'11" | 207 | ★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Cole Tabb← Stanford | FR | 5'8" | 200 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Zion Johnson | FR | 5'8" | 185 | — |
| RB | 5th | Gi'Bran Payne← Notre Dame | JR | 5'10" | 205 | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Cade Wolford← Kent State | FR | 5'10" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Jeff Caldwell | SR | 6'5" | 215 | — |
| WR | 3rd | Isaiah Johnson | SO | 5'10" | 185 | — |
| WR | 4th | JaVonnie Gibson← Oklahoma | JR | 6'2" | 211 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Elijah Jones | FR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Larenzo Fenner← South Dakota | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Flynn Schiele← Colorado School Of Mines | — | — | — | ★★ |
| WR | — | Malachi Henry← Central Arkansas | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Gavin Grover | SO | 6'6" | 255 | — |
| TE | 2nd | Patrick Gurd | SR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
Offensive Line · 1
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Evan Tengesdahl | SO | 6'3" | 320 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Chidera Otutu← UTSA | SO | 6'1" | 305 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Jalen Hunt | SR | 6'2" | 315 | — |
| DL | 3rd | Isaiah Rogers | SR | 6'2" | 297 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Marquaze Parker | SO | 6'2" | 285 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Dontay Corleone | SR | 6'1" | 335 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Jaylon White-McClain | JR | 6'4" | 273 | ★★★ |
| DL | 7th | Rob Jackson | SR | 6'4" | 277 | — |
| DL | 8th | CJ McCray | SR | 6'3" | 260 | — |
| DL | 9th | Kamron Neal | FR | 6'2" | 268 | ★★★ |
| DL | 10th | Elijah Gunn | SO | 6'0" | 310 | — |
| DL | — | Josh Hough← PennWest California | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| EDGE | — | Thomas Johnson← North Carolina Central | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 12
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Filip Maciorowski← Northern Illinois | SO | 6'3" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Jonathan Thompson | JR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Jack Dingle | SR | 6'4" | 240 | — |
| LB | 4th | Simeon Coleman | SO | 5'11" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Brian Simms III | SO | 6'3" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Montay Weedon | SO | 6'0" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Damaine Wilson← Georgia State | SO | 6'2" | 215 | ★★★ |
| LB | 8th | Ben Blevins | SR | 5'11" | 235 | — |
| LB | 9th | George Leibold | FR | 6'1" | 225 | — |
| LB | 10th | Terrell Holcomb | FR | 6'1" | 220 | ★★★ |
| LB | 11th | Myles Harrison | FR | 6'2" | 227 | ★★★ |
| LB | — | Patrick Bauer← Illinois State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 16
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | MJ Cannon← Bowling Green | JR | 6'3" | 205 | ★★★ |
| CB | 2nd | Jacob Finley← Northern Illinois | JR | 5'11" | 184 | ★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Logan Wilson | SR | 5'9" | 183 | — |
| CB | 4th | Matthew McDoom | SR | 5'9" | 180 | — |
| CB | 5th | KK Meier← UTSA | JR | 6'0" | 190 | ★★★ |
| CB | 6th | Kenny Worthy III← Washington State | FR | 6'0" | 177 | ★★★ |
| CB | 7th | Daniel James | FR | 5'10" | 185 | ★★★ |
| CB | 8th | Stanley Clyne | SO | 6'2" | 180 | — |
| DB | 1st | Antwan Peek Jr. | JR | 6'1" | 214 | — |
| DB | 2nd | Marqavious Saboor | SO | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| DB | 3rd | CJ Crite | FR | 6'1" | 202 | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Jasper Beeler← Northern Illinois | JR | 6'2" | 194 | ★★★ |
| S | 2nd | Trevon Gola-Callard | SR | 6'0" | 195 | — |
| S | 3rd | Ty Goodwill← South Alabama | SO | 6'2" | 200 | ★★★ |
| S | 4th | Xavier Williams | SR | 6'2" | 220 | — |
| S | 5th | CJ Jones | FR | 5'9" | 190 | — |
Special Teams · 4
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LS | 1st | Eli Stein | JR | 6'3" | 225 | ★★ |
| P | 1st | Max Fletcher | JR | 6'6" | 190 | ★★★ |
| P | — | Dino Beslagic | JR | 6'4" | 207 | — |
| PK | 1st | Stephen Rusnak | SR | 6'0" | 200 | — |
Season History · last 12
1 AP top-10 · 8 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #56 | #17 | 0-1 |
| 2024 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #72 | — | — |
| 2023 | 3-9 | 1-8 | #87 | — | — |
| 2022 | 9-3 | 6-2 | #24 | #20 | 0-1 |
| 2021 | 13-0 | 9-0 | #5 | #2 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 9-0 | 7-0 | #9 | — | 0-1 |
| 2019 | 10-3 | 7-2 | #34 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 10-2 | 6-2 | #49 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 4-8 | 2-6 | #95 | — | — |
| 2016 | 4-8 | 1-7 | #82 | — | — |
| 2015 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #55 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 9-3 | 7-1 | #48 | — | 0-1 |
Recruiting Classes
avg #59 · 9 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★143 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #61 | 190 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 2024 | #51 | 197 | 0 | 1 | 13 |
| 2023 | #75 | 168 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2022 | #42 | 198 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 2021 | #42 | 191 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 2020 | #40 | 195 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 2019 | #79 | 158 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2018 | #48 | 193 | 0 | 1 | 22 |
| 2017 | #63 | 168 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 2016 | #74 | 153 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 22net -1Out 23
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.0 / 3.1
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Cade Wolford | WR | 4★ | ← Kent State |
| ▲ | JaVonnie Gibson | WR | 3★ | ← Oklahoma |
| ▲ | MJ Cannon | CB | 3★ | ← Bowling Green |
| ▲ | Larenzo Fenner | WR | 3★ | ← South Dakota |
| ▼ | Brendan Sorsby | QB | 5★ | → Texas Tech |
| ▼ | Evan Pryor | RB | 3★ | → Florida |
| ▼ | Caleb Goodie | WR | 3★ | → Missouri |
| ▼ | Noah Jennings | WR | 3★ | → Minnesota |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
20 items
- EA Sports CFB 27: Big 12 team ratings and player overallsTexas Tech CB Brice Pollock, Cincinnati G Evan Tengesdahl, Houston G Shadre Hurst tie for Big 12’s top rated player.CIN1d
- Receiver commits to Ohio State over Cincinnati, MinnesotaClass of 2027 wide receiver Jordan Donahoo has committed to Ohio State over Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, and Minnesota.CIN3d
- CFL closes another door for Brendon Sorsby, won't register former Texas Tech QBPlaying in the Canadian Football League was seen as one option for Brendan Sorsby but the league clarified the former Texas Tech QB is not eligible.
- Hoosiers Daily News: Indiana football shows off new-look uniformsIndiana’s updated uniforms, the Brendan Sorsby saga and men’s basketball recruiting analysis in today’s updates.
- Ex-Bearcats coach Kelly to call Mountain West games for CBS | ReportBrian Kelly, who was fired eight games into LSU's 2025 season, reportedly is expected to be part of a broadcast booth doing Mountain West games.CIN6d
- Where can Brendan Sorsby play college football after NFL supplemental draft ruling?With the NFL declining to hold a supplemental draft in 2027, the options for Brendan Sorsby to play football this fall are limited but not impossible.
- NFL tells Brendan Sorsby hard truths he needs to hear: He's not special | OpinionTexas Tech tried to make you see Brendan Sorsby as a victim. The Big 12 didn’t buy it. The NFL didn’t buy it, either.
- Wetzel: NFL's denial of Brendan Sorsby sends the right messageThe NFL sent a powerful reminder to Sorsby and others: Sports wagering can bring significant repercussions.
- Cincinnati Bearcats Football Flips Three-Star 2027 Cornerback From SEC SchoolCincinnati Bearcats Football Flips Three-Star 2027 Cornerback From SEC SchoolCIN7d
- The NFL puts its foot down by denying Brendan Sorsby a supplemental draftThe NFL has done what the NCAA could not: ensure that Brendan Sorsby won't play football this fall.
- Brendan Sorsby could have one long shot option left: Junior College FootballAfter the NFL dealt Brendan Sorsby a devastating setback, his path to professional football appears to lead only to the 2027 NFL Draft. With no supplemental draft scheduled for 2026 and Sorsby no longer part of the Texas Tech Red…
- NFL General Counsel pens definitive rejection to Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility petitionThe NFL General Counsel sent a letter to Brendan Sorsby following the NFL's decision not to hold a Supplemental Draft. The post NFL General Counsel pens definitive rejection to Brendan Sorsby’s eligibility petition appeared first on Saturday Down South.
- What's next for Brendan Sorsby? Options for Texas Tech QB include NFL lawsuit, JUCO football and moreThe NFL denied Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby a chance to be selected in a supplemental draft.
- NFL declines supplemental draft, leaving Brendan Sorsby ineligible for 2026Brendan Sorsby will not play in the NFL in 2026. The post NFL declines supplemental draft, leaving Brendan Sorsby ineligible for 2026 appeared first on Saturday Down South.
- NFL won't hold 2026 supplemental draft, leaving Brendan Sorsby's future uncertain, reports sayBrendan Sorsby faces an uncertain NFL future after the league reportedly told teams it will not hold a supplemental draft in 2026.
- NFL won't host Supplemental Draft, making Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby ineligible in 2026Brendan Sorsby won't be heading to the NFL in 2026.
- University of Cincinnati disputes agent’s claim the school knew about Brendan Sorsby’s gamblingThe University of Cincinnati athletic department issued a statement Wednesday to dispute a claim from Brendan Sorsby’s agent, who says the school knew about the quarterback’s gambling and didn’t do anything about it.
- Satterfield expects surge of NFL calls after Sorsby says he will apply for supplemental draftScott Satterfield has fielded plenty of questions from NFL teams about Brendan Sorsby, especially after his former quarterback transferred to Texas Tech and information about Sorsby’s gambling addiction became well known.
- Source: Big 12 in no rush to pull lawsuit over Sorsby eligibilityThe Big 12 presidents and chancellors haven't rushed to pull the league's recently filed federal lawsuit because there are still questions about Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby's NFL future and any possible legal retribution, a source told ESPN.
- Big 12 post-spring insider intel: QB updates, a 5-star's resurgence, breakout players and moreFrom Brendan Sorsby's replacement at Texas Tech to DJ Lagway's development at Baylor, we've got the scoop on all the biggest offseason developments in the Big 12