'Throwing A Lot Of Stuff At JC' - Scott Satterfield Updates JC French IV's Progression During Fall Camp

The Bearcats football team is entering the final days of fall camp this week as the last scrimmage of the sessions looms on Friday morning.

Head coach Scott Satterfield had high praise ready to heap on the defense Tuesday. That unit looks like it should be much improved for the 2026 season after ranking among the bottom-30 teams nationally in overall stop rate last year.

One part of the defense he'd like to see continue growing is the defensive line.

"I certainly think we have to build more depth at a lot of positions, particularly in the secondary, and then also as a D-line," Satterfield said. "We got a bunch of bodies at D-line, but who's going to be productive? Who can we count on to be where they're supposed to be, get to the gaps, and create that? And a guy like (Nathan) Nunn, I think has had an outstanding camp.

"He's shown up most days ... I think (Marquaze) Parker's going to be solid. Thomas Johnson's solid. (Josh) Houghs had a couple of good days. (Jonathan) Rulo's had a couple of good days, and there's a guy who's a true freshman that I think is certainly going to help us."

Starting safety MJ Cannon told us the defensive goal is seven turnovers a game this season, whether that be actual fumbles and interceptions or turnovers on downs.

They'll be a top team nationally in stop rate if that happens, and so far they've flashed signs of being able to do it. JC French IV has been through a little bit of a tougher stretch facing this defense over the past few weeks compared to a pretty flawless spring.

Satterfield commented on his lead quarterback's reps in August as well.

"We're throwing a lot of stuff at JC because for us and how we want guys to play at that position it's new to him, so there's a lot of new things," Satterfield declared. "He's going to make some mistakes when that happens. We understand that, and to his credit, he's done a good job of learning when he goes back to watch the film, not making that same mistake again. And I think that's the key because I know he's going to make some mistakes out here. We want to make it as hard as we possibly can in this environment so that he'll be ready to go when it comes to Boston College."

French doesn't have to be a hero or put up similar numbers to Brendan Sorsby last season if the rest of the roster build performs to expectations.

Keeping the train on the tracks, winning the margins (like time of possession and turnovers), and showing strong QB leadership should be a winning formula for a UC team that may be defensively driven in 2026.

Check out more from Satterfield below:

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