Since their offseason arrival, the Cincinnati Bearcats football staff figured the addition of several key transfers would help the program immensely. Among the 25 who previously played at other schools, were three from Ohio State who had all played Power Four football in big venues.
As expected, tight end Joe Royer, running back Evan Pryor and safety Kye Stokes have had an early impact for the Bearcats who are 2-1 and 17 seconds away from being 3-0. Pryor and Royer are third and fourth on the team in all-purpose yards and have four touchdowns between them (six if Royer hadn’t had two reversed vs. the Miami RedHawks).
Stokes has been part of the secondary rotation as part of defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt’s 3-3-5 defense. All are scheduled to play more than they did in Columbus.
Cincinnati Bearcats tight end Joe Royer had a touchdown reception against the Miami RedHawks and had two others called back.
Joe Royer looks like NFL tight end prospect
Offensive lineman Luke Kandra knew what the Bearcats would be getting if they picked up Joe Royer and as soon as his former Elder High School teammate entered the portal, Kandra was on the phone. Current NFL Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud saw the same thing at Ohio State in 2022, saying Royer was “flying under the radar.”
But, between battling Cade Stover on the depth chart and the sudden death of his mother, Michelle (Micki) Royer, he struggled with football and life. In 14 games with the Buckeyes, Royer had just four catches for 24 yards between 2021-2023, something he surpassed in his first game at UC.
“When I lost my mom I lost my love for football for a while,” Royer said. “It was never really the same. Now I enjoy the game again. I love being out here practicing and on Saturdays.’
When Royer scores he points to the sky for his mother and he wears her on his right…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bearcats-transfers-ohio-state-contributing-151710387.html
Author : Cincinnati.com | The Enquirer
Publish date : 2024-09-19 15:17:10
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