The Cincinnati Bearcats are one of the Big 12 teams going into fall workouts with an unsettled situation at starting quarterback.
Emory Jones ran out of eligibility, so his transfer in to the Bearcats last season was a short-term solution. Coach Scott Satterfield has options going into fall workouts, each of which could be longer-term plays as the Bearcats begin their second year in the Big 12.
“I think it had been a great summer for those guys competing, and I tell you it doesn’t hurt to have several guys that can play at the quarterback position,” he said. “So we all know that. So I think by the end of the camp, hopefully a week or week and a half before our first game, we’ll be able to name a starter.”
Three-Man Race for the Cincinnati Bearcats
The name that has gotten the most attention is Brendan Sorsby, another transfer but one who still has eligibility beyond this season. The Lake Dallas, Texas, product was at Indiana for two seasons and in 2023 he threw for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns with only five interceptions for the Hoosiers.
His starts included a five-touchdown game at Illinois and a three-touchdown passing effort at Penn State.
But Satterfield isn’t handing the job to him by any means.
Last year’s primary backup, redshirt junior Brady Lichtenberg, is also back. He played in seven games last season, going 19-of-34 passing for 252 yards and a touchdown. He started against West Virginia. But what he hasn’t gotten in three years at Cincinnati is consistent playing time.
Satterfield also mentioned true freshman Samaj Jones, who enrolled early. The Philadelphia native was a four-star recruit and the nation’s fifth-best dual-threat quarterback recruit according to ESPN. He led St. Joseph’s Prep to a second-straight 6A football championship and finished his career with 7,813 total yards.
“We’re going to see how it goes throughout camp,” Satterfield said.
Cincinnati went 3-9 in 2023 with a 1-8 record in the Big 12. Satterfield’s first year leading the Bearcats was a bumpy one and the program lost more than 30 players to the transfer portal.
Cincinnati has the luxury of returning its entire offensive line, which will block for returning back Corey Kiner as it tries to duplicate last year’s No. 5 ranking in rushing yards per game.
Defensively the Bearcats allowed 30 points per game, which ranked No. 100 in the country. Cincinnati will be without standout defensive end Dontay Corleone, who developed blood clots in his lungs in June. He is out indefinitely but he is already back to workouts. Without Corelone, the defense is down to three returning starters and will lean heavily into portal talent to fill in the gaps.
The Bearcats host Towson on Aug. 31 to open non-conference. Cincinnati then hosts Pitt on Sept. 7 and travels to Miami (OH) on Sept. 14.
Big 12 play starts with Cincinnati hosting Houston on Sept. 21, followed by a road trip to Texas Tech on Sept. 28.
After the Bearcats travel to UCF on Oct. 12, Cincinnati hosts Arizona State on Oct. 19 and then travels to Colorado on Oct. 26.
Cincinnati hosts West Virginia on Nov. 9, followed by a pair of road trips to Iowa State on Nov. 16 and Kansas State on Nov. 23. Cincinnati wraps up the regular season at home against TCU on Nov. 30.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
