# 2025 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

The 2025 Cincinnati Bearcats football team will represent the University of Cincinnati during the 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearcats, members of the Big 12 Conference, play home games at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. 2025 is the program's third season under head coach Scott Satterfield.

## Offseason

Positions key :
| C | Center | CB | Cornerback | DB | Defensive back | DE | Defensive end |
| DL | Defensive lineman | DT | Defensive tackle | FB | Fullback | FS | Free safety |
| G | Guard | K | Kicker | KR | Kickoff returner | LB | Linebacker |
| LS | Long snapper | MLB | Middle linebacker | OT | Offensive tackle | OL | Offensive lineman |
| OLB | Outside linebacker | NT | Nose tackle | P | Punter | PR | Punt returner |
| QB | Quarterback | RS | Return specialist | RB | Running back | S | Safety |
| SS | Strong safety | TE | Tight end | WR | Wide receiver |
* 1 2 May sometimes be referred to as an edge rusher (EDGE)
* ↑ Also known as offensive guard (OG)
* ↑ Also known as placekicker (PK)
* ↑ Also known as inside linebacker (ILB)

### Coaching staff changes
#### Departures

Departures :
| Name | Position | Reason for Leaving | New school | New position |
| Kerry Coombs | Special Teams and Cornerbacks coach | Fired | | |
| Nate Fuqa | Co-Defensive coordinator and Stars coach | Fired | | |

#### Additions

Additions :
| Name | Position | Previous school | Previous position |
| Adam Braithwaite | Safeties | Samford | Defensive coordinator/Safeties |
| Eddie Hicks | Cornerbacks | LSU | Analyst |

### Recruiting

College recruiting information (2025) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zebulin Kinsey QB | Wellsville, Ohio | Toronto Junior/Senior High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Nov 18, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Zion Johnson RB | Covington, Georgia | Newton High School | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Feb 8, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Giyahni Kontosis WR | Upper Marlboro, Maryland | Riverdale Baptist School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jul 8, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Ka’Maurri Smith TE | Dayton, Ohio | Wayne High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 19, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| DaMari Witherspoon TE | Dallas, Georgia | East Paulding High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Aug 27, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jeremiah Kelly OL | Avon, Ohio | Avon High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 315 lb (143 kg) | Jun 21, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Marcus McGregor OL | West Des Moines, Iowa | Valley High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 280 lb (130 kg) | Dec 2, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Cray Paich OL | Northbrook, Illinois | Glenbrook North High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | May 18, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Zach Taylor OL | Kingsland, Georgia | Camden County High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 300 lb (140 kg) | Sep 23, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| James Early DL | Fort Wayne, Indiana | North Side High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Oct 6, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Tim Griffin DL | Covington, Georgia | Alcovy High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 255 lb (116 kg) | Nov 23, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| CD McFee DL | Elkhart, Indiana | Elkhart Memorial High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 296 lb (134 kg) | Sep 7, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Kamron Neal DL | Smyrna, Georgia | Campbell High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Nov 11, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Myles Harrison LB | Pickerington, Ohio | Pickerington High School Central | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Dec 3, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Terrell Holcomb LB | Gahanna, Ohio | Gahanna-Lincoln High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 17, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Patrick Williams CB | Greenville, South Carolina | Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | Dec 25, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jamari Johnson S | Birmingham, Alabama | Pell City High School | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Dec 4, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| CJ Jones S | Bolingbrook, Illinois | Bolingbrook High School | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 23, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| CJ Crite Star | Chesapeake, Virginia | Oscar F. Smith High School | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Jun 8, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2025 Cincinnati Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. "2025 Players Commitments – Cincinnati". ESPN.com. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2025 Cincinnati Bearcats football team". 247sports.com. |||||||

### Transfers
#### Players leaving

Departing transfers :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | New school |
| Caleb Schmitz | TE | 6'3" | 240 | Junior | Lancaster, PA | Illinois State |
| Kalen Carroll | CB | 5' 11" | 161 | Sophomore | Brownsburg, IN | Central Michigan |
| D.J. Taylor | DB | 5'10" | 195 | Senior | Tampa, FL | |
| Aaron Turner | WR | 5'8" | 185 | Senior | Washington, D.C. | Rice |
| Sterling Berkhalter | WR | 6'3" | 200 | Junior | Cincinnati, OH | Wake Forest |
| Carter Brown | PK | 6'0" | 198 | Junior | Pearland, TX | Utah State |
| Ben Mehan | P | 6'0" | 180 | Freshman | Downingtown, PA | East Texas A&M |
| Garrison Butler | DL | 6'1" | 280 | Freshman | Jacksonville, FL | Appalachian State |
| Jonathan Harder | OL | 6'4" | 330 | Sophomore | Delaware, OH | Toledo |
| Michael Mussari | WR | 6'1" | 200 | Freshman | Kings Mills, OH | Dayton |
| Kameron Wilson | DL | 6'2" | 250 | Junior | Decatur, GA | Miami (Ohio) |
| Brady Drogosh | CB | 6'4" | 220 | Freshman | Warren, MI | Grand Valley State |
| Quinton Price | CB | 6'3" | 180 | Freshman | Cincinnati, OH | Thomas More |
| Jordan Young | CB | 6'0" | 197 | Junior | Tampa, FL | Arkansas |
| Tyrin Smith | WR | 5'7" | 165 | Senior | Cibolo, TX | Texas State |

#### Incoming transfers

Cincinnati incoming transfers :
| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Prev. school |
| Taran Tyo | OL | 6'4 | 326 | Junior | Greenville, Ohio | Ball State |
| Matthew McDoom | CB | 5'8 | 160 | Junior | Winter Garden, Florida | Coastal Carolina |
| Jaylon White-McClain | DE | 6'4 | 254 | Junior | Virginia Beach, Virginia | Old Dominion |
| Caleb Goodie | WR | 6'1 | 170 | Junior | Breaux Bridge, Louisiana | Colorado State |
| Cyrus Allen | WR | 6'0 | 170 | Senior | New Orleans, Louisiana | Texas A&M |
| Nolan Latulippe | OL | 6'7 | 281 | Senior | Aylmer, Quebec | Albany |
| Jeff Caldwell | WR | 6'5 | 200 | Junior | Louisville, Kentucky | Lindenwood |
| Stephen Rusnak | PK | 6'5 | 200 | Senior | Clarkston, Michigan | Charlotte |
| Tayden Barnes | S | 5'10 | 185 | Sophomore | Amarillo, Texas | New Mexico State |
| CJ McRay | DL | 6'4 | 241 | Senior | Lumberton, North Carolina | Virginia Tech |
| Xavier Williams | S | 6'2 | 215 | Senior | McDonough, Georgia | Middle Tennessee |
| Tawee Walker | RB | 5'9 | 218 | Senior | North Las Vegas, Nevada | Wisconsin |
| Christian Harrison | DB | 6'1 | 191 | Junior | Atlanta, Georgia | Tennessee |

### 2025 NFL draft
#### Undrafted free agents
## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Site |
| August 28 | vs. Nebraska* | Arrowhead StadiumKansas City, MO |
| September 6 | Bowling Green* | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH |
| September 13 | Northwestern State* | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH |
| September 27 | at Kansas | David Booth Kansas Memorial StadiumLawrence, KS |
| October 4 | Iowa State | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH |
| October 11 | UCF | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH (rivalry) |
| October 18 | at Oklahoma State | Boone Pickens StadiumStillwater, OK |
| October 25 | Baylor | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH |
| November 1 | at Utah | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT |
| November 15 | Arizona | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH |
| November 22 | BYU | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH |
| November 29 | at TCU | Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TX |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingSource: ||||

## Game summaries
### vs. Nebraska

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Cornhuskers | | | 0 |
| Bearcats | | | 0 |
at Arrowhead Stadium • Kansas City, Missouri
* Date: August 28
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Nebraska | Passing |
| Nebraska | Rushing |
| Nebraska | Receiving |
| Cincinnati | Passing |
| Cincinnati | Rushing |
| Cincinnati | Receiving |

### vs Bowling Green

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Falcons | | | 0 |
| Bearcats | | | 0 |
at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: September 6
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Bowling Green | Passing |
| Bowling Green | Rushing |
| Bowling Green | Receiving |
| Cincinnati | Passing |
| Cincinnati | Rushing |
| Cincinnati | Receiving |

### vs Northwestern State

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Demons | | | 0 |
| Bearcats | | | 0 |
at Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: September 13
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northwestern State | Passing |
| Northwestern State | Rushing |
| Northwestern State | Receiving |
| Cincinnati | Passing |
| Cincinnati | Rushing |
| Cincinnati | Receiving |

## Awards and honors

Big 12 Weekly Honors :
| Date | Player | Class | Pos. | Award | Ref. |

### All-Big 12

All-Big 12 :
| Player | Pos. | 1st/2nd team |
| HM = Honorable mention |||