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Cincinnati Bearcats Football Stars Shine During 2026 Pro Day Showing

Cincinnati held the event on campus for the first time in multiple years.
Russell Heltman|
Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday (11) smiles during the Cincinnati Bearcats football spring practice at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025.
Cincinnati Bearcats linebacker Jake Golday (11) smiles during the Cincinnati Bearcats football spring practice at Nippert Stadium on Saturday, April 12, 2025. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Cincinnati Bearcats

The Bearcats held their 2026 Pro Day on campus Tuesday morning. It marked the first time since 2022 that the school put on its own event after the Big 12 assembled every school for one big Pro Day over the past few years.

Names like Cyrus Allen, Jake Golday, Gavin Gerhardt, Jeff Caldwell, and more went through varying levels of testing in front of NFL scouts and big names from the Bengals, like head coach Zac Taylor and director of player personnel Duke Tobin.

Allen had a nice day, posting strong numbers in the broad jump (11") and a 4.47-second 40-yard dash to keep him right on track with normal wide receiver speed in the NFL. That speed baseline should help him greatly, given how well he produced for Cincinnati, tying their single-season receiving score record.

One name who did not test today or throughout the draft cycle is Dontay Corleone, who's unfortunately gone from a fringe first-round prospect a few years ago to 110th on the consensus big board from The Mock Draft Database. Injuries are keeping him from showing off his athletic ability this spring.

Caldwell also did not go through athletic testing after lighting up the NFL Combine numbers, but he did go through catching drills.

Bengals View The Action

From left: Director of College Scouting Mike Potts, Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin, head coach Zac Taylor
From left: Director of College Scouting Mike Potts, Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin, head coach Zac Taylor and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo talk as rookies stretch during the team s mini rookie camp, Friday, May 12, 2023, inside the team s indoor practice bubble in Cincinnati. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tobin has a good sense of what he's looking for out of prospects like Cincinnati has.

"Some are better than others," the Bengals director of player personnel said at the 2026 NFL Combine about NFL Draft fits. "I don’t give up on any player that’s on our football team because I see talent in everyone. If I didn’t see any talent, they wouldn’t be here. If I didn’t see the future, they wouldn’t be here. We don’t waste time with guys that we give up on. I’m hopeful for a lot of players we have. When you get Pro Bowl guys in the later rounds, you feel great about that. 

"I feel really good about our process, what we’re looking for, why we’re looking for it, and what we’re trying to uncover. There are a lot of things you can’t control in football and life in general. Injuries, motivation changes, opportunities. Those things have to come together for players to maximize themselves. When one of those elements isn’t there, sometimes it’s hard for that player to overcome that."

Check out all of the best moments below from The Front Office News's Neil Meyer and the UC X account during Cincinnati's 2026 Pro Day:

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Russ Heltman
RUSSELL HELTMAN

Russ Heltman is on the Bearcats and Bengals beat for On SI. He is the morning host and producer for 89.3 WMKV in Cincinnati, OH. Russ can be found on Twitter: @RussHeltman11 or you can reach him by email at Heltmandm@yahoo.com.

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