As the University of Cincinnati’s new athletic performance center/practice facility continues to rise from the earth Scott Satterfield’s second Bearcat football team begins spring work Monday, March 4.
In addition to those returning from last year’s 3-9 squad, the Bearcat recruiting department and coaches brought in 17 new transfer players to go along with 10 early enrollees from high school.
While starting spots will be earned between now and late August with plenty of notable Bearcats emerging, this is a look at 24 UC players to know as the ’24 campaign begins with spring ball.
24 ‘Cats to watch in ’24 (in alphabetical order)
Cincinnati Bearcat transfers Kye Stokes (left) and Jared Bartlett meet the press in Fifth Third Arena last month.
1. Linebacker Jared Bartlett
Bartlett is 6-foot-2, 238 pounds and played in 50 games with 26 starts at West Virginia. He led the Mountaineers in sacks with 4.5 and has six TFL (tackles for loss) among his total of 50 for the season.
“It takes a lot to be successful in this conference,” Bartlett said. “My decision to come here ultimately was about me wanting to make this team better and giving myself an opportunity to shine at another level. The coaches took a chance on me and I’m going to try my absolute hardest to make them right.”
2. Tight end Joey Beljian
A knee injury ended the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder’s season a year ago, otherwise he may have been UC’s starting tight end. Beljian began as a walk-on at Western Kentucky and eventually caught 29 passes for 282 yards and 10 touchdowns. He won the Burlsworth Trophy in 2021 for players that began as walk-ons. UC’s recruiting staff has ties to Western Kentucky and their productive offense under Tyson Helton, a former Bearcat assistant.
3. Defensive back Derrick Canteen
The 5-foot-11, 194-pound Canteen had 43 tackles at Virginia Tech last season…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/24-24-cincinnati-bearcats-know-205147741.html
Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer
Publish date : 2024-03-02 20:51:47
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