Cincinnati Football Completes 2025 Spring Showcase

A lot of reps at Nippert Stadium.

Nov 30, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby (2) throws a pass against the TCU Horned Frogs in the third quarter at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Albert Cesare/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images / Albert Cesare/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The 2025 Spring Football Showcase is in the books!

The team is now done with 12 of 15 total sessions at Nippert Stadium before breaking for a few months leading into fall camp at Higher Ground.

"We were right where we wanted to be today, short and sweet," head coach Scott Satterfield said after the session. "A lot of young guys got reps today, and some newcomers made some plays as well. We also wanted to see some field goals in an atmosphere like this, and that was good. We knocked those down as well, then I thought Max Fletcher also punted the ball really well today. Overall, it was a good day. I think both sides made some plays, and that's what you want to see anytime you have a scrimmage like this.”

The defense looks firmly ahead of the offense, stopping Brendan Sorsby and the first-team unit from scoring any touchdowns on their three drives. New kicker Stephen Rusnak nailed a couple of 45-plus-yard field goals to flash his elite leg at the Division I level, but Sorsby did not lead any scoring drives. Brady Lichtenberg hit Jeff Caldwell in the left corner of the north end one for the day's first TD. Running back Chance Williams had the longest touchdown of the day on a 45-plus yard run to flash some of his skill after redshirting last season.

Cornerback Daniel James and defensive end Rob Jackson were defensive standouts on that side of the ball. Jackson had a notable tackle for loss, and James caused a pass deflection. Both of them were around Samaj Jones a decent amount. The redshirt freshman has some strong rushing ability, which Scott Satterfield highlighted earlier this week. Tayden Barnes looks like a strong player at safety. He notched his second interception this week in team drills and looks like a ball-skill boost that will help Cincinnati's lowly five interception total last season (118th nationally).

Meanwhile, Jones snuck through gaps in the defense a few times and while being hard to tell how far he could've gone wearing a no-contact jersey, the burst was notable. He could be a nice red zone asset in an area where UC scored a touchdown just 57.78% of the time last season (87th nationally).

One of the other big storylines this offseason is the offensive line, where guard Taran Tyo noticeably took a bunch of reps at center. Gavin Gerhardt is entrenched in that spot as a strong veteran/semi-coach in the unit, but Tyo can fill in for him in a pinch. The Ball State transfer will likely start next to Gerhardt at guard, but it's good to know he has positional flexibility. The offensive tackle rotation continued with names like Ethan Green, Nolan Latulippe, and more all getting reps.

Many reserve players got action in this session as Cincinnati rested Dontay Corleone and others from a veteran-laden roster getting ready for a hopeful leap to bowl status or better this fall.

"The young guys are still going to come on," Satterfield said. "They are growing. They are getting better. You cannot have enough depth up front, that's the one thing in the Big 12. You lean on these big guys week in and week out, and you have to be able to rotate those guys and put more big bodies in."

UC has three more practices next week before the spring period ends.

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