Bearcats Football Star Named AP First-Team All American Entering 2026 Season

Cincinnati has an AP preseason first-team All-American on its roster.

The teams were announced on Tuesday, and Evan Tengesdahl is the first-team left guard after his stellar 2025 campaign. Tengesdahl is one of just two Big 12 offensive linemen selected to the AP preseason first team, joining Houston's Shadre Hurst on the list.

He's a major leader on this team and Cincinnati's best overall player. The senior also landed nods on the Outland Trophy Watch List, Lombardi Award Watch List, and Preseason All-America selections by The Sporting News, Walter Camp, Phil Steele, On3, and Athlon Sports, as well as the Preseason All-Big 12 team.

He's amped to get rolling in just a few weeks against Boston College and is a huge piece of the 2026 puzzle for Scott Satterfield.

“He’s a really, really strong player,” said Satterfield earlier this month. “He’s one of those guys that once he gets his hands on you, it’s hard to get off of him. But I also think he’s putting really good work in. He’s got a lot of accolades this offseason, but man, he was here every day this summer.”

The massive mauler is one of the strongest players in college football and holds that distinction on the EA Sports College Football 27 game.

"The left guard is coming off a superb season in which his 82.8 PFF rating was highest among Big 12 guards and sixth nationally," Bruce Feldman wrote in The Athletic's Freaks List recently. "Tengesdahl played a key role in Cincinnati’s line, earning recognition from the Joe Moore Award, as the Bearcats were named semifinalists. The 6-4, 323-pounder turned down several SEC and Big Ten schools this offseason to stay put.

"He’s one of the most powerful players in college football. He benched 425 pounds, did a sumo lift with 615, and back squatted 615. He also showed off his agility by running a 1.75-second 10-yard split, had a 4.68 shuttle time, and hit 18.12 mph on the GPS. Tengesdahl also made a case for CJ Crite, a 207-pound sophomore DB, for a spot here: 'He’s lifting like three times his body weight. It’s crazy how strong he is.'"

Cincinnati is hoping the strength of the offensive line, powered by Tengesdahl and more, can boost the team's win total for the third consecutive season.

Evan Tengesdahl has been named a First-Team Preseason All-American by the Associated Press

📰: https://t.co/IcAGZ2Uzy1 pic.twitter.com/sp7ThQGqfF
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) August 18, 2026

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