2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

The 2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team will represent the University of Cincinnati in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearcats will play their home games at Nippert Stadium and compete as members of the American Athletic Conference. They will be led by fourth-year head coach Luke Fickell.

2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 22
2020 record	0-0 (0-0 The American)
Head coach	Luke Fickell (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Denbrock (4th season)
Defensive coordinator	Marcus Freeman (4th season)
Home stadium	Nippert Stadium (Capacity: 40,000)

2020 American Athletic Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Cincinnati		0	–	0					0	–	0
East Carolina		0	–	0					0	–	0
Houston		0	–	0					0	–	0
Memphis		0	–	0					0	–	0
Navy		0	–	0					0	–	0
SMU		0	–	0					0	–	0
South Florida		0	–	0					0	–	0
Temple		0	–	0					0	–	0
Tulane		0	–	0					0	–	0
Tulsa		0	–	0					0	–	0
UCF		0	–	0					0	–	0
Championship: December 5, 2020
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant As of August 16, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll.

Previous season

In 2019, the Bearcats finished with a 11–3 (7–1 AAC) record, and won the Birmingham Bowl against Boston College. The 2019 season was the second straight 11-win season for the Bearcats, and fourth such season in program history.[1]

Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2020 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Evan Prater QB	Cincinnati, Ohio	Wyoming High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	May 2, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jadon Thompson WR	Naperville, Illinois	Marist High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Feb 4, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaheim Thomas OLB	Cincinnati, Ohio	Princeton High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	214 lb (97 kg)	Jul 20, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chris Scott WR	Pickerington, Ohio	Pickerington North High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jan 27, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Marquez Bell WR	Lake City, Florida	Columbia High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Sammy Anderson S	Trotwood, Ohio	Trotwood-Madison High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 15, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Daved Jones OLB	West Chester, Ohio	Lakota West High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	207 lb (94 kg)	Jul 2, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Gavin Gerhardt OL	Xenia, Ohio	Xenia West High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Nov 5, 2018
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kobe McAllister OL	Ringgold, Georgia	Heritage High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	275 lb (125 kg)	Apr 5, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
John Williams OL	Bolingbrook, Illinois	Bolingbrook High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Apr 6, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Deshawn Pace DB	Cincinnati, Ohio	Colerain High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Apr 20, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jake Renfro OC	New Lenox, Illinois	Providence Catholic High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Jun 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Sterling Miles DE	West Bloomfield, Michigan	West Bloomfield High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jun 21, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyler Scott ATH	Norton, Ohio	Norton High School	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jul 4, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Justin Wodtly DT	Cleveland, Ohio	Cleveland Heights High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jul 26, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ethan Wright ATH	Akron, Ohio	Manchester High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Dec 5, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Payten Singletary TE	Thomasville, Georgia	Thomasville High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Aug 2, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Todd Bumphis Jr. WR	Toledo, Ohio	Saint Francis De Sales High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jun 22, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dominique Perry DE	Germantown, Maryland	Northwest High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jan 26, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Norman Love ATH	Lake Wales, Florida	Lake Wales High School	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jun 11, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 39  247Sports: 40
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: "2020 Cincinnati Football Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. "2020 Players Commitments – Cincinnati". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020. "2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 7, 2020.

Incoming transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Prev. School
Jerome Ford	RB	5' 11"	206	Freshman (Redshirt)	Seffner, FL	Alabama
Noah Davis	TE	6' 5"	230	Senior	Cincinnati, OH	Michigan State
Michael Young Jr.	WR	5' 11"	190	Junior	Destrehan, LA	Notre Dame
Jordan Jones	WR	6' 1"	185	Senior	Smackover, AR	Arkansas

Preseason

Award watch lists

Award	Player	Position	Year
Bednarik Award[2]	Darrick Forrest	S	Sr.
	Ahmad Gardner	CB	So.
Nagurski Award[3]	Darrick Forrest	S	Sr.
	James Wiggins	S	Sr.
Ray Guy Award[4]	James Smith	P	Sr.
Thorpe Award[5]	Darrick Forrest	S	Sr.
	Ahmad Gardner	CB	So.
	James Wiggins	S	Sr.
Wuerffel Trophy[6]	Blake Bacevich	DE	So.

AAC media poll

Schedule

The Bearcats' 2020 schedule currently consists of five home games and four away games. The American Athletic Conference eliminated divisions for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, so the Bearcats 2020 schedule will include eight conference games – four home games and four road games. Cincinnati will host East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, and South Florida. They will travel to UCF, SMU, Temple, and Tulsa.[7]

The Bearcats' will host their only non-conference game against Austin Peay (FCS) to open the 2020 season.

Cincinnati had a sixth home game against Western Michigan and two away games scheduled against Nebraska and Miami (OH), which were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result
September 19	TBA	Austin Peay*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBA
October 3	TBA	South Florida	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBA
October 17	TBA	at Tulsa	H.A. Chapman Stadium Tulsa, OK	TBA
October 24	TBA	at SMU	Gerald J. Ford Stadium Dallas, TX	TBA
October 31	TBA	Memphis	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (rivalry)	TBA
November 7	TBA	Houston	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBA
November 12	TBA	East Carolina	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	ESPN Network
November 21	TBA	at UCF	Spectrum Stadium Orlando, FL	TBA
November 28	TBA	at Temple	Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, PA	TBA
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 3 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Game Summaries

Austin Peay

See also: 2020 Austin Peay Governors football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–0	2017	CIN, 26–14

Austin Peay at Cincinnati – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Governors	0	0	0	0	0
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

• Date: September 19
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

South Florida

See also: 2020 South Florida Bulls football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
10–7	2019	CIN, 20–17

South Florida at Cincinnati – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	0	0	0	0	0
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

• Date: October 3
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

at Tulsa

See also: 2020 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
15–17–2	2019	CIN, 24–13

Cincinnati at Tulsa – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Hurricane	0	0	0	0	0

at H.A. Chapman Stadium, Tulsa, OK

• Date: October 17
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

at SMU

See also: 2020 SMU Mustangs football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
3–1	2018	CIN, 26–20

Cincinnati at SMU– Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0
Mustangs	0	0	0	0	0

at Gerald J. Ford Stadium, Dallas, TX

• Date: October 24
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

Memphis

See also: 2020 Memphis Tigers football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
13–23	2019	MEM, 29–24

Memphis at Cincinnati – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	0	0	0
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

• Date: October 31
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

Houston

See also: 2020 Houston Cougars football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
11–15	2019	CIN, 38–23

Houston at Cincinnati – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	0	0	0
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

• Date: November 7
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

East Carolina

See also: 2020 East Carolina Pirates football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
10–13	2019	CIN, 46–43

East Carolina at Cincinnati – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Pirates	0	0	0	0	0
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0

at Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, OH

• Date: November 12
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

at UCF

See also: 2020 UCF Knights football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
2–3	2019	CIN, 27–24

Cincinnati at UCF– Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0
Golden Knights	0	0	0	0	0

at Spectrum Stadium, Orlando, FL

• Date: November 21
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

at Temple

See also: 2020 Temple Owls football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
8–13–1	2019	CIN, 15–13

Cincinnati at Temple – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bearcats	0	0	0	0	0
Owls	0	0	0	0	0

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA

• Date: November 28
• Game time: TBA EDT
• TV: TBA

=

Personnel

Roster and staff

2020 Cincinnati Bearcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 L'Christian Smith  So WR 2 Jayshon Jackson Jr WR 5 Jordan Jones Sr QB 6 Ben Bryant  So WR 8 Michael Young Jr QB 9 Desmond Ridder  Jr RB 10 Charles McClelland  So QB 10 Jake Sopko  Sr TE 11 Leonard Taylor Jr WR 12 Alec Pierce Jr WR 13 Trent Cloud  Jr QB 14 Jack Perry So WR 15 Garyn Prater  Jr QB 16 Michael Lindauer  Fr TE 18 Cameron Jones  Fr WR 21 Tre Tucker So RB 22 Ryan Montgomery  So RB 23 Gerrid Doaks  Sr RB 24 Jerome Ford  So RB 25 Cameron Young Sr RB 30 Michael Kopaygorodsky  Jr WR 32 Jiair Thomas  Fr RB 33 Ethan Wright Fr TE 47 Nate Lawler  So OL 50 Dylan O'Quinn  So OL 51 Lorenz Metz  So OL 52 Jakari Robinson  Jr OL 55 James Hudson  Jr OL 55 Zach Hummel  Fr OL 58 Darius Harper Sr OL 65 Cody Lamb  Jr OL 66 Ethan Voelker  So OL 70 Joey Groeber So OL 71 Colin Woodside  So OL 72 Jonathan Allen  Fr OL 74 Jeremy Cooper  So OL 75 John Williams Fr OL 76 Marcelo Mendiola  Fr OL 77 Vincent McConnell  Jr TE 81 Josh Whyle  So TE 82 Noah Davis WR 84 Wyatt Fischer  So WR 85 Bray Ginyard  Fr TE 86 Jack Campbell  Fr TE 87 Bruno Labelle  Sr TE 88 Payten Singletary Fr WR 89 Bryant Johnson II  Fr WR -- Marquez Bell Fr OL -- Gavin Gerhardt Fr WR -- Normal Love Fr OL -- Kobe McAllister Fr QB -- Evan Prater Fr OL -- Jake Renfro Fr WR -- Chris Scott Fr ATH -- Tyler Scott Fr WR -- Jadon Thompson Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 2 Wilson Huber  Jr S 3 Ja'von Hicks Jr CB 4 Justin Harris So S 5 Darrick Forrest Sr CB 7 Coby Bryant Sr LB 8 Jarell White Sr CB 9 Arquon Bush  So CB 12 Ahmad Gardner So LB 13 Ty Van Fossen  So CB 15 Taj Ward  So LB 17 Dorian Holloway  Fr CB 18 Josiah Robey  Jr DE 19 Ethan Tucky  Sr S 20 Bryan Cook Sr DE 21 Myjai Sanders Jr DE 25 Harrison Hill Jr LB 27 Darrian Beavers Sr S 29 Jacob Dingle So LB 30 Brody Ingle So CB 31 Casey Kirk  Jr S 32 James Wiggins  Sr DE 33 Blake Bacevich  So LB 35 Ryan Royer  Jr S 36 Will Adams  So DE 37 Steven Hawthorne  Fr S 39 Jaquan Sheppard So LB 40 DeMarco Baker  So LB 41 Joel Dublanko  Sr DE 42 Malik Vann Jr DE 43 Michael Pitts  Sr LB 44 Mick Oakes  So LB 46 Grant Horvath  Fr LB 50 Jackson Bruscianelli  Fr DT 52 Daeshon Martin  So DE 54 Izaiah Ruffin  Fr DE 57 Ryan Mullaney  Fr DE 89 Sterling Miles Fr DT 90 Jabari Taylor  Jr DL 91 Miles Manigualt  Fr DT 92 Curtis Brooks  Sr DT 93 Elijah Ponder  Sr DT 94 Chase Brown  So DL 95 Cole Pelgen  Fr DT 97 Eric Phillips  Fr DE 98 Mychal Keys  So DT 99 Marcus Brown  Sr CB -- Sammy Anderson Fr CB -- Todd Bumphis Fr LB -- Daved Jones Jr Fr LB -- Deshawn Pace Fr DT -- Dominique Perry Fr LB -- Jaheim Thomas Fr DT -- Justin Wodtly Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 19 Cole Smith Jr P 37 James Smith Sr K 39 Bryce Burton  Fr LS 74 Blake Bammann  So K 91 Alex Bales  Fr LS 96 Cayson Pfeiffer  Fr	Head coach Luke Fickell- 4th year Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike Denbrock (Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends)- 4th year Marcus Freeman (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)- 4th year Brian Mason (Special Teams Coordinator)- 3rd year Ron Crook (Offensive Line)- 4th year Gino Guidugli (Quarterbacks)- 3rd year Perry Eliano (Cornerbacks)- 1st year Dan Enos (Running Backs)- 1st year Mike Brown (Wide Receivers)- 2nd year Jon Tenuta (Safeties)- 4th year Greg Scruggs (Defensive Line)- 1st year Brady Collins (Director of Football Sports Performance)- 4th year Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Rankings

Further information: 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP
Coaches	22
CFP	Not released															Not released

Awards and milestones

References

1. "Ridder, No. 23 Cincinnati romp over Boston College, 38-6". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
2. "Forrest & Gardner Named To Bednarik Award Watch List". GoBearcats.com. 13 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
3. "Forrest & Wiggins Named To Nagurski Trophy Watch List". GoBearcats.com. 21 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
4. "James Smith Named To Ray Guy Award Watch List". GoBearcats.com. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
5. "Forrest, Gardner & Wiggins Named To Thorpe Award Watch List". GoBearcats.com. 20 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
6. "Blake Bacevich Named To Wuerffel Trophy Watch List". GoBearcats.com. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
7. "American Announces 2020-21 Football Scheduling Format". TheAmerican.org. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
8. Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
9. Rittenberg, Adam (August 8, 2020). "MAC postpones all fall sports, including football; plans on spring season". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 8, 2020.