Cincinnati Lands Former Stanford Running Back with Huge Potential

Three days into the transfer portal, Stanford football is yet to pounce on any talent, causing fans to get a little antsy this winter, as this will be the program's best shot to keep building for later this year. And to make matters worse, they also lost a key offensive piece, which is going to make the Cardinal’s offense lose an extra edge, with backup running back Cole Tabb announcing his commitment to Cincinnati.

Tabb is a Florida born talent, that is a touch undersized at 5-foot-8, but he's an agile back that made a huge impact for the Cardinal in 2025. He just oozes with potential, and should get more of an opportunity with his new program. When teams played the Cardinal, they would not only have to focus on the power of Micah Ford, but also the elusiveness and physicality of Tabb.

The one-two combo that Stanford was able to attack with proved extremely effective for the Cardinal, especially in the games that they ended up winning.

The young star played two seasons for the Cardinal, where he showed signs of a bright future in both. During his freshman year, Tabb played three games, all coming late in the season. In those contests, he shined in all three, going for 72 yards against NC State, 35 against Louisville, and 23 against San Jose State for 130 yards total on 27 carries (4.8 yards/carry).

Playing just three games for the Cardinal, he was able to redshirt the 2024 season.

Last season was his redshirt freshman season, where Tabb truly broke out. He began the year with three solid games, going for 26, 31, and 27 as Ford's backup, showing consistency, but not dominance.

In his next four games is where he proved that he was a great running back. Tabb went for 48 against San Jose State, getting his first touchdown of the season. Then, he had 62 on the road against SMU. Coming home, Tabb had his biggest game, going for 118 yards and a touchdown in Stanford’s upset win over Florida State. He followed with 64 on the road at Miami.

In that span he carried the ball 68 times for 292 yards, good for 4.29 per carry against some pretty good programs.

Tabb struggled in the final few games of the season, racking up just 69 yards and a touchdown over the final four games, but a decent amount of those low totals was a lack of opportunity, as he collected just 28 carries across those four contests. He ended his redshirt season with 445 yards and three touchdowns, adding four catches for 22 yards.

After the season, Tabb decided to enter the portal with three years of eligibility remaining. He announced his decision via Instagram.

Three days later, Tabb announced that he would be headed to Cincinnati, where he hopes to achieve a starting role next season.

Last season, the Bearcats were a pass-first offense, under the lead of Brendan Sorsby at quarterback. Cincinnati had a successful season, even reaching the Top 25 during the mid-October AP Poll. Their run game needs some work though, and that’s where Tabb likely comes in.

Cincinnati will lose their starting back, Tawee Walker, who will make his way to the NFL after declaring for the draft. Their second leading rusher was their quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, who recently announced he would head to Texas Tech after being the top player in the transfer portal.

In addition to Tabb, Cincinnati is also bringing in former Notre Dame running back Gi'Bran Payne, according to ESPN's Max Olson. The 5-foot-10 back was a junior in 2025, and carried the ball nine times for 53 yards this past season after missing all of 2024.

While it isn’t ideal for Stanford to see Tabb leave, he will definitely be in a position to shine. Tabb will likely start for Cincinnati next season, and will have a role that could see the former Cardinal star potentially emerge as an NFL prospect in the future.

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