Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder Returning for Redshirt Senior Season

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder will forgo the NFL draft and return to the Bearcats program for the 2021 season, the redshirt junior announced on Friday.

Ridder led Cincinnati to a 9–1 season in 2020, a year when the team was ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Bearcats defeated No. 23 Tulsa in the AAC Championship but lost to No. 9 Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, 24–21.

In his video announcement, Ridder said he plans for Cincinnati to win a second straight conference championship next season and that there will be "no reason not to put us in the playoffs." The Bearcats were listed at No. 8 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season.

The 2020 AAC Offensive Player of the Year, Ridder recorded 19 passing and 12 rushing touchdowns over 10 games started. He also totaled 2,296 passing and 592 rushing yards alongside six interceptions. Ridder's 12 rushing scores led the American Athletic Conference.

“He’s super sharp and intelligent,” quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli told Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde. “We demand a lot of our quarterbacks—a lot is on his shoulders. He handles it well. He’s not a kid who’s going to make the same mistake twice.”

Ridder's yards per pass attempt increased from 6.7 to 8.2 in 2020 despite playing with an almost completely new cast of receivers. He holds a 31–5 record as a Cincinnati starter.

Ridder graduated with his undergraduate degree from Cincinnati in December.