Mario Eugenio: 'Cincinnati is a Different Vibe'

The four star edge defender made his first gameday visit of the season this past weekend.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Updated:
Nov 23, 2021 12:36 PM EST

CINCINNATI — The Bearcats welcomed in four-star edge rusher Mario Eugenio this weekend, and SI's John Garcia Jr. spoke with the senior to see how he's feeling on his search for a college football home.

"It was fun the whole time. We had a great time," Eugenio told Sports Illustrated. "I've been in contact with Cincinnati since the beginning of my junior year, so I already knew a lot about their culture, I just never seen it in real life."

Eugenio is racking up the numbers at Gaither High School, posting 38 career sacks. He checked at No. 71 on the SI99 preseason rankings and is their sixth-ranked edge defender in the 2022 class. Bearcat fans all across the senior-day festivities did their part to impress the Tampa (Fla.) native.

"The city is beautiful, the atmosphere is great, and the fans before the game were incredible. Everywhere I went, everybody knew my name. Like I didn't have to have my name tag with me. All the fans were like, 'Mario, just letting you know it's different around here.' Cincinnati is a different vibe."

The edge rusher is trying to find his permanent college home after making his first gameday visit to any 2021 contest this past weekend.

"It meant a lot to me," Eugenio said about Fickell's commitment to UC. "Because I got to know that he's not just in it for the money. He cares about his players; he wants them to succeed after football—it's not just about football. Cincinnati has a 100% graduation rate since he's been the coach; I don't even think Michigan was 100%."

Eugenio is impressed with UC's commitment to recruiting him. He noted that the Bearcats are communicating most frequently of any of the 30-plus schools to offer him a scholarship.

"They're pretty high up in the race," Eugenio said. "After all these years, even when I was committed to Michigan, they showed me so much love. They always showed me and my family everything; they were never dishonest."

Eugenio would be a huge late addition to the 2022 class. Check out the full piece on his visit to Clifton right here.

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