Oct 16, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; The Cincinnati Bearcats mascot holds up the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy after a touchdown against the UCF Knights in the first half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports — © Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

"Let It Fly" Takeaways: Episode One

The Bearcats miniseries is back with an inside look at the football team.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Aug 6, 2022 2:46 PM EDT

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats unveiled the first episode of a new Let It Fly season this week, and there were plenty of intriguing moments.

Cincinnati isn't letting the success of last year distract from a reset and reload in 2022. Let's get to three of the biggest takeaways from Episode One.

No Looking Back

Voices ranging from Josh Whyle to Luke Fickell made it clear that Cincinnati still has the heightened expectations it's measured itself with over the last four years under the direction of Desmond Ridder and Co.

"People say this is a rebuilding year for us," Whyle quipped. "I think this year is going to be really big on focusing on us and what we do."

Fickell went on to say rebuilding talk carries a negative tone, especially when veterans hear it.

"Yeah, I think it's disrespectful sometimes to look at some older guys, and seniors in particular, and say 'you're rebuilding,'" Fickell said.

Reloading is the theme of this offseason, and the show strikes that tone early for a reason. The Bearcats don't expect to have any fall off. Sure, a return to the College Football Playoff is unlikely, given where they'll start the season in the polls, but that doesn't mean they expect to go 8-4 or 9-3.

The standard is still trophies, a zero in the loss column, and an invite to a New Year's Six Bowl of some kind. Wide receiver Tre Tucker mentioned that the goal is to be a "top-10 program" not just a top-10 team every couple of years. Everyone bought into that mentality when Fickell convinced them to sign in high school, and that will play a big part in a smooth transition to another era.

Building Bonds

Fickell and his staff are coaching a very tight-knit group of players not just on the field but off it as well. The Bearcats conduct multiple team-building exercises throughout the year. Whether it's playing volleyball at 50 West or hitting the diving boards at Coney Island, the team truly looks like they are all friends.

"We always like to have them do some outreach stuff together," Fickell said." And then some events and some things that are fun, as well as dinners. The uniqueness of being with your guys outside of this building, outside of your meeting room, outside of the football field, I think is really critical in the development of relationships."

One could argue football is the most impactful sport for team bonds. Being able to trust the guy next to you is critical towards making the split-second decisions that turn touchdowns into turnovers on defense and vice versa on offense.

The Bearcats facilitate that growth well throughout each and every year.

Wilson Huber: Grillmaster

The Bearcats man in the middle of the defense came out on top in the team grilling competition with the tastiest steak of the bunch. Huber is stepping into the middle linebacker role vacated by Joel Dublanko and he made a statement at the player cookout.

Whyle brought a secret rub as his ace in the hole, but that wasn't enough to convince football sports nutrition fellow Colin Russo he had the top steak. The final order went: Huber, Jake Renfro, and Ryan Montgomery.

"I'm going to put you at three behind Wilson, and Renfro," Russo told Montogmery.

Linebacker Deshawn Pace had a different order, placing wide receiver Chris Scott at No. 1. All in all, it was another intriguing way for a team that's had so much success to bond off the field.

Check out the full episode of Let It Fly below.

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

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