Cincinnati's Newest Quarterback Ranked Among Top-50 FBS Passers

The Cincinnati Bearcats are set to field an underrated portal quarterback.

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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was always going to be hard to fully replace the intangibles that former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sosrby brought to the table. However, head coach Scott Satterfield has used the NCAA transfer portal to scour through a plethora of prospects and he eventually came out with JC French IV. 

French’s last two seasons at Georgia Southern saw the former 3-star quarterback throw for 5,760 yards to go along with 37 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. French totaled a 64.7% completion rate and helped lead the Eagles to back-to-back bowl games. In both 2024 and 2025.

As a runner, last season, French added 315 yards on the ground, along with 6 touchdowns, continuing Cincinnati’s trend of utilizing running quarterbacks, as Sorsby tallied 9 touchdowns on the ground last season. 

According to Pro Football Sports Network’s latest ranking of every FBS starting quarterback, French is the 40th-best quarterback this season.

“…French isn't the biggest guy on the football field, but it doesn't matter with the way he plays football. He'll stand tall in the pocket and dish accurate shots all over the field, mainly spending time carving the middle of the field against lesser-matched defenses, ideally the latter of which should translate over for the Bearcats in 2026…” 

French’s career high sits at 322 passing yards, which he achieved in the 2024 campaign against Boise State in Georgia Southern’s 56-45 season-opening loss. 

Jul 8, 2026; Frisco, TX, USA; Cincinnati quarterback JC French IV during Big 12 Conference Football Media Days at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is a revamped wideout corps that is stacked with transfers. Two of French’s top three wideouts are newcomers, including Malachi Henry and JV Gibson. 

Last season, Henry notched four games of over 100 yards, finishing his season at Central Arkansas as a first-team All-UAC member at the FCS level. 

Gibson meanwhile hails from Oklahoma, where in one season with the Sooners, he notched 199 yards across 18 receptions. 

The only starting wideout who is used to the UC system is projected slot wideout Isaiah Johnson. Johnson reeled in 222 yards and 3 touchdowns across 14 receptions for the Bearcats last season, .

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