Cincinnati Bearcats Quarterback Situation Ranked Among Middle of All FBS Schools

Cincinnati has a pretty brand-new look in its quarterback room.

Sep 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Georgia Southern Eagles quarterback JC French IV (12) throws a pass during the first half against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

ESPN's David Hale recently broke down all 138 FBS quarterback situations and gave a ranking to Cincinnati's room encompassing JC French IV, Samaj Jones, and Liam O'Brien.

The Bearcats' situation checked in at Tier 12 among 25 total situation tiers across all 138 schools.

French threw for 2,929 yards last year with 20 TDs and 8 INTs to round out a 58.1 overall ESPN QBR (78th nationally) and 67.3 Pro Football Focus grade on 842 snaps. French has 815 career attempts and was a two-year starter for the Eagles, throwing for 5,882 yards and 38 TDs overall.

Middle Of The Group

Aug 31, 2024; Statesboro, Georgia, USA; Georgia Southern Eagles quarterback JC French (12) celebrates with offensive lineman Bryson Broadway (75) and offensive lineman Pichon Wimbley (74) after converting a two point play against the Boise State Broncos at Paulson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News-Imagn Images | Richard Burkhart-Imagn Images

He was ranked 455th among transfers and 39th among transfer passers on 247Sports during this past transfer cycle. 

"Tier 12 presents the ultimate combination of the devil you know vs. the one you don't," Hale wrote. "On one hand, each of these teams could go with a veteran player -- either an in-house talent or a portal addition. They're all safe(ish) bets. On the other hand, there's a true freshman with massive upside and virtually no practice reps. With each team coming off a disappointing season, the pressure to go with the young player will be immense. Clemson fans are already bored with Vizzina, and they've seen this story unfold before -- in 2014 (Deshaun Watson), 2018 (Trevor Lawrence), and 2022 (Cade Klubnik) -- when Dabo Swinney went with the veteran to start, only to make a change somewhere along the way.

"Carolina fans already endured the Gio Lopez experiment. Tennessee fans know a freshman talent when they see one. Cincinnati is already picking up the pieces of Sorsby's exit, and fans desperately want results now. In each case, the difference between a coach calming a frustrated fan base and keeping his job or seeing the whole thing blow up might come down to making the right call here."

Cincinnati will likely have a middle-of-the-pack Big 12 quarterback situation this fall, unless French pops to a completely different level in his final year of eligibility as a redshirt senior. The 6-foot-1 passer looked more accurate in the spring from my view than he did this past season, so it's possible.

Playing with better talent all around him could be the push to elevate him to a level where Cincinnati could contend. Could is the operative word there, as UC fans hope for a big leap in production, just like Brendan Sorsby experienced from 2024 to 2025.

Check out the full ranking from Hale here.

Bookmark Bearcats Talk for the latest news, breakdowns, and so much more. Be sure to check out our YouTube page as well, starting with the video below.

Also, don't miss the podcast, Bearcat Blitz, wherever you get your shows! 

Apple  

Spotify  

YouTube

Be sure to keep it locked in on Bearcats Talk, as we cover the trials and tribulations of the Big 12!

Follow Bearcats Talk on Twitter: @BearcatsTalk

Like Bearcats Talk on Facebook: Bearcats Talk