Grading the UC Football Transfers

Assessing the key transfers on the Bearcats roster through the first four games.

Author:
Alex Frank
Sep 29, 2022 7:28 AM EDT

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Cincinnati Bearcats

MACON — Through four games, the Cincinnati Bearcats have posted some incredible performances on both sides of the ball.

Plenty of them have come from transfers on the roster. With non-conference play in the books and the quest for a three-peat in the American Athletic Conference set to begin, let's grade the key transfers.

QB Ben Bryant - 67.2 comp. pct., 11 TD, 3 INT Grade: B+

I like what I'm seeing from Ben Bryant. He has exceeded my expectations so far. He is the leader of this offense, and the reason the Bearcats are winning games. He looks confident in the pocket, and protection from the offensive line is allowing him to spread the ball around to a deep Bearcats receiving corps.

The one thing he needs to clean up is the long stretches of subpar play. It didn't impact the Bearcats much against Indiana, but it could down the road if they don't have a 38-10 lead at halftime.

LB Ivan Pace Jr. - 46 TKL, 11 TFL, 4.5 sacks, FF Grade: A+

This one was easy. Pace has been as advertised, and then some. Just when you think he can't get better, he does.

That's what he did against Indiana when he racked up 15 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 4.5 tackles for loss en route to being named the Chuck Bednarik National Defensive Player of the Week.

His nose for the football and relentless pursuit is what makes him a wrecker for opposing offensive gameplans. He's on track to be a lock for AAC Defensive Player of the Year and should be in the mix for All-America status at this rate.

WR Nick Mardner - 7 rec., 96 yds, 2 TD Grade: B

Mardner has shown great hands through the first four games, and his height is a huge advantage on the perimeter to make contested catches like the go-ahead touchdown against Miami.

The thing about Mardner, though, is I want to see more of him. I want to see him get more targets, make bigger plays and showcase his run-after-the-catch ability. Right now, he's this team's number three wide receiver that occasionally makes a big play.

DE Noah Potter - 7 TKL, 2 TFL, 0.5 sacks Grade: B

Potter had a good game against Miami, but that's mostly all we've seen out of him. There's a lot of depth in front of him on the defensive line, but I want to see him work his way up the depth chart so he can make an impact.

It's hard to tell what he'll do throughout the remainder of the season because the Bearcats typically play a 3-3-5 defense. That could have a huge impact on his playing time.

RB Corey Kiner - 40 rush, 147 yds, 2 TD Grade: B

The transfer from LSU is a spark plug for this team. Kiner scored the first touchdown of the season at Arkansas and the final touchdown against Indiana.

I want to see more of his hard-nosed running to solidify his standing as the number two running back on this team.

K Ryan Coe - 3/5 FG, 23/23 PAT Grade: B+

We must address the kicker in Clifton. So far so good. Coe has made all the kicks he's supposed to, and he did a solid job putting the two missed field goals at Arkansas behind him.

What helps him is the Bearcats score a lot of touchdowns, 23 so far on the season. So he may not have to kick a lot of field goals.

The Bearcats battle Tulsa at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Watch the game on ESPNU via fuboTV—start your free trial here.

Make sure you bookmark All Bearcats for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more.

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