Personnel
Historic roster turnover
Cincinnati must replace 19 starters, including 6 lost to the portal — among the most rebuilt rosters in the conference heading into 2026, with over 40 new players on the roster.
BIG 12 FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 5 OF 16
CINCINNATI BEARCATS
2026 Season Snapshot • Cincinnati, Ohio
7-5 (5-4 Big 12)
BIG 12
2026 Schedule
Live schedule, lines and results for Cincinnati.
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HEAD COACH
HANDICAPPING PROFILEHEAD COACH
Scott Satterfield — 4th season at Cincinnati
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
91–70 (13 seasons, Appalachian State, Louisville & Cincinnati)
Led Appalachian State's transition from FCS to FBS with three FCS national titles as an assistant, then three straight Sun Belt titles as head coach (2013- 18) before stints at Louisville and now Cincinnati. Delivered the program's first Big 12 bowl bid in 2025 (AutoZone Liberty Bowl) after landing on 2025 coaching hot-seat lists.
CINCINNATI ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
2025 finished 7-5 (5-4 Big 12), Cincinnati's first bowl trip since joining the Big 12. The Bearcats opened 7-1 before dropping their final four regular-season games — a real second-half fade worth tracking again in 2026.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$3.5M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Cincy Reigns
Coach salary per Boardroom/MOU reporting (6-yr deal, $100K annual raises; assistant pool at $7.25M brings total coaching investment to $10.65M, a program record). Cincinnati has not disclosed a team NIL figure. Departed QB Brendan Sorsby individually signed a reported $5M NIL deal with Texas Tech in Jan. 2026 — the largest known NIL figure connected to this program, even though it left with him.
HANDICAPPING NOTES
- Historic roster turnover: Cincinnati must replace 19 starters, including 6 lost to the portal — among the most rebuilt rosters in the conference heading into 2026, with over 40 new players on the roster.
- Lost its most valuable asset to a rival: QB Brendan Sorsby left for a reported $5M NIL deal at Texas Tech after a huge 2025 (2,800 pass yds, 27 TD, 580 rush yds, 9 rush TD) — Cincinnati now starts over at the position with zero returning production.
- Coordinator turnover on both sides: New OC (Pete Thomas, promoted internally) and new DC (Nate Woody, from Army) both take over in the same season as the QB change — real, compounding installation risk.
COORDINATORS & SCHEME
OFFENSE / DEFENSEOFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Pete Thomas • Nic Cardwell — 1st season (co-OCs) • Multiple
Both promoted internally after developing Sorsby into a $5M-NIL-caliber quarterback; now have to replicate that with a brand-new QB room (Georgia Southern transfer JC French IV, Penn transfer Liam O'Brien). Inherit an offensive line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist in 2025, the clearest strength on the roster.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Nate Woody • 1st season • Multiple
Arrives from Army after Cincinnati's defense lost standout linebacker Jake Golday and DC Tyson Veidt (to Penn State). Aggressively rebuilt via the portal — 9 starters signed off other FBS rosters, 4 more from FCS programs.
2025 SEASON RECAP
RECORD & VENUE NOTES2025 RECORD
7–5 (5–4 Big 12)
AutoZone Liberty Bowl vs. Navy — Cincinnati's first bowl appearance since joining the Big 12 and since Satterfield took over in 2023. Started 7-1 before a 5-game skid (4 regular season, capped by the bowl) closed the year.
HOME FIELD
Nippert Stadium
Artificial turf (UBU Speed Series), Cincinnati. One of the oldest stadiums in college football still in use; a program picked to finish near the bottom of the Big 12 in 2026 after historic roster turnover, testing Satterfield's rebuild against outside expectations.
PRIMARY SKILL PLAYERS
2026 PROJECTED STARTERS| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | JC French IV | RS-Sr | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Three-star signee (Blessed Trinity HS, Roswell, Ga.). Georgia Southern transfer (5,882 career pass yds, 38 TD, 20 INT over 36 games); projected Week 1 starter replacing Sorsby, with real rushing ability (133 attempts in 2025) fitting the offense's dual-threat identity. |
| RB1 | Zion Johnson | RS-Fr | ★★★★★ | Set to lead a rebuilt backfield after Cincinnati's top two 2025 rushers (Tawee Walker, Evan Pryor) both departed via the portal (to Florida and elsewhere); joined by Notre Dame transfer Gi'Bran Payne and Louisiana transfer Zylan Perry in the rotation. |
| WR1 | Cade Wolford | — | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee. Kent State transfer (19 catches, 509 yds, 7 TD as a redshirt freshman); one of two portal receiver additions brought in to help a passing game that ranked 73rd nationally in 2025. |
| WR2 | JaVonnie Gibson | — | ★★★★★ | Oklahoma transfer joining Wolford as a second proven portal piece in a retooled receiving corps. |
QB1JC French IVRS-Sr★★★★★
TOP TRANSFER
Three-star signee (Blessed Trinity HS, Roswell, Ga.). Georgia Southern transfer (5,882 career pass yds, 38 TD, 20 INT over 36 games); projected Week 1 starter replacing Sorsby, with real rushing ability (133 attempts in 2025) fitting the offense's dual-threat identity.
RB1Zion JohnsonRS-Fr★★★★★
Set to lead a rebuilt backfield after Cincinnati's top two 2025 rushers (Tawee Walker, Evan Pryor) both departed via the portal (to Florida and elsewhere); joined by Notre Dame transfer Gi'Bran Payne and Louisiana transfer Zylan Perry in the rotation.
WR1Cade Wolford—★★★★★
Three-star signee. Kent State transfer (19 catches, 509 yds, 7 TD as a redshirt freshman); one of two portal receiver additions brought in to help a passing game that ranked 73rd nationally in 2025.
WR2JaVonnie Gibson—★★★★★
Oklahoma transfer joining Wolford as a second proven portal piece in a retooled receiving corps.
OFFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taran Tyo | C | — | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee (Versailles HS, Ohio). Moving from guard to center full-time for 2026; anchors a line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist in 2025 — widely considered the clear strength of the roster amid heavy turnover elsewhere. |
| Evan Tengesdahl | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee (Wayne HS, Huber Heights, Ohio); AP Third- Team All-American in 2025, allowing zero sacks on 408 pass-block snaps. Returning starter alongside Tyo, giving the new coaching staff real continuity up front. |
Taran TyoC—★★★★★
Three-star signee (Versailles HS, Ohio). Moving from guard to center full-time for 2026; anchors a line that was a Joe Moore Award finalist in 2025 — widely considered the clear strength of the roster amid heavy turnover elsewhere.
Evan TengesdahlOL—★★★★★
Three-star signee (Wayne HS, Huber Heights, Ohio); AP Third- Team All-American in 2025, allowing zero sacks on 408 pass-block snaps. Returning starter alongside Tyo, giving the new coaching staff real continuity up front.
HANDICAPPING NOTE — O-LINE
- This is genuinely the one position group Cincinnati returns real strength at — worth weighing heavily against the turnover everywhere else on the roster.
DEFENSIVE LINE
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob Finley | DL | NIU transfer brought in to help rebuild a front seven that lost standout LB Jake Golday. |
| Dontay Corleone returners | DT | Depth pieces around a line replacing significant departed production, addressed aggressively through the portal. |
Jacob FinleyDL
NIU transfer brought in to help rebuild a front seven that lost standout LB Jake Golday.
Dontay Corleone returnersDT
Depth pieces around a line replacing significant departed production, addressed aggressively through the portal.
LINEBACKERS
2026 PROJECTED- Cincinnati's linebacker corps is being rebuilt after losing standout Jake Golday; new DC Nate Woody (from Army) brings in a mostly new group via the portal to install his system from scratch.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
2026 PROJECTED| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| MJ Cannon | CB | ★★★★★ | Bowling Green transfer, one of four defensive backs added specifically from Group of 6 starting roles to rebuild the secondary after safety Christian Harrison left for Arkansas. |
MJ CannonCB★★★★★
Bowling Green transfer, one of four defensive backs added specifically from Group of 6 starting roles to rebuild the secondary after safety Christian Harrison left for Arkansas.
SPECIAL TEAMS
KICKING, PUNTING & RETURN GAME- Overall: No major specialist storylines flagged for 2026. With historic roster turnover across nearly every position group, Cincinnati's floor and ceiling are both genuinely wide open entering Satterfield's fourth season.
Notes
Saved Just J research for Cincinnati.
Quarterback
Lost its most valuable asset to a rival
QB Brendan Sorsby left for a reported $5M NIL deal at Texas Tech after a huge 2025 (2,800 pass yds, 27 TD, 580 rush yds, 9 rush TD) — Cincinnati now starts over at the position with zero returning production.
Quarterback
Coordinator turnover on both sides
New OC (Pete Thomas, promoted internally) and new DC (Nate Woody, from Army) both take over in the same season as the QB change — real, compounding installation risk.
Offensive Line
Offensive line outlook
This is genuinely the one position group Cincinnati returns real strength at — worth weighing heavily against the turnover everywhere else on the roster.
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