Cincinnati
Bearcats

Cincinnati Team Report

Updated: February 03, 2012 03:22 EST

National signing day began with a thud for Cincinnati, but by day's end the Bearcats had compiled arguably their finest recruiting class in school history. Four-star running back Dennis Norfleet decommitted and chose Michigan the night before. But UC still managed to land 26 three-star athletes and fill some needs, particularly at defensive back and linebacker.

"We wanted to put an emphasis on team speed," said Bearcats Coach Butch Jones, who'll begin his third season. "We feel like we attracted a high-caliber student-athlete in this class. We're excited about their potential."

UC, coming off a 10-3 season and a victory over Vanderbilt in the Liberty Bowl, has raised its national profile in recent years. The scouting services ranked this recruiting crop among the top 30-40 classes in the country. Among the 30 signees were nine mid-year enrollees.

As promised by Jones, UC kept its focus on Ohio with 11 recruits hailing from the Buckeye State. He was also successful in luring athletes from recruiting hotbeds such as California, Florida and Pennsylvania. "We're always going to take care of our home base," Jones said.

The Bearcats have needs to fill. The replacement for QB Zach Collaros likely will come from Munchie Legaux, Jordan Luallen, or Brendon Kay. That didn't stop the Bearcats from signing a pair of highly touted Florida QBs in Bennie Coney and Trenton Norvell

Despite Norfleet's about-face, UC enters the spring with a deep corps of running backs including signee Deionte Buckley and junior-college transfer Aaron Harris. They'll grow behind Akise Teague, Ralph David Abernathy IV and Jameel Poteat who'll replace the explosive Isaiah Pead who's pursuing his NFL dreams.

UC added eight defensive backs and five linebackers with this year's class. It will take more than one individual to replace departed LB JK Schaffer but the Bearcats now have some depth at those positions.

"The class lends itself to filling many needs within our program," Jones said. "We graduated a highly successful senior class. There's a renewed spirit and energy within our football program right now."

TOP OF THE CLASS

--RB Deionte Buckley ranked as the No. 5 player in Indiana but where he fits on the Bearcats' depth chart remains to be seen. UC is deep at running back this season, but Buckley, ranked as the No. 31 running back nationally, will be a valuable commodity for the future.

--QB Bennie Coney enrolled at UC in January. Coney, graded as a four-star recruit by 247sports.com, is a dual-threat QB who fits well into the Bearcats' spread system. He passed for 1,159 yards and ran for 360 as a junior.

--TE DeShawn Dowdy has speed for his size. At 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, Dowdy is an adept pass catcher who was ranked as the No. 27 tight end by Rivals.com. He had six sacks as a junior.

--RB Aaron Harris, one of the nation's top JUCO backs, missed the 2010 season with a knee injury, but recovered to rush for 870 yards and eight TDs. He compiled 164 all-purpose yards per game last season.

--OL Caleb Stacy ranks among UC's top local recruits. Stacey, a 6-foot-4, 280 pound lineman from Cincinnati's Oak Hills High, chose the Bearcats over Boston College, Illinois and Michigan.

--Head coach Butch Jones signed a contract extension in January that could keep him at Cincinnati through 2017. The deal includes a reported $475,000 raise to $1.575 million with incentives. Jones earned Big East coach of the year honors after guiding the Bearcats to a 10-win season and victory in the Liberty Bowl.

--Former Bearcats RB Isaiah Pead earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Senior Bowl on Jan. 28 after compiling 133 all-purpose yards including 98 yards on a pair of punt returns. He had 31 yards rushing on eight carries.

--UC finished the season ranked No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches' poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press poll. It was the third time in four years that the Bearcats had been ranked in both major polls at the end of the season. Their 5 1/2-game improvement from the previous season's 4-8 record was the best among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

SPRING SNAPSHOT:

Practice priorities: Spring practice will renew the battle for the Bearcats starting QB job. Zach Collaros has graduated leaving Munchie Legaux and Jordan Luallen as the frontrunners to claim the job. The defense lost its inspirational leader in linebacker JK Schaffer. But UC will retool behind several young players who gained experience last season in a much-improved defense from the previous year.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "You can have a press conference every day and say the same things. Everyone gets excited on signing day. But the mark of a recruiting class is measured two, three, four years down the road." -- Coach Butch Jones on national signing day.

KEY LOSSES: UC must replace several standouts including RB Isaiah Pead, QB Zach Collaros, LB JK Schaffer, and DT Derek Wolfe. The highly touted recruiting class will help, but Collaros' replacement will be front and center during spring camp. While the senior starter was out with an ankle injury, Munchie Legaux and Jordan Luallen shared QB duties. The defense must replace its emotional captain in Schaffer, but will have some experience returning, among them defensive lineman Walter Stewart.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2012:

The WR trio of Anthony McClung, Kenbrell Thompkins, and Alex Chisum which combined for more than 1,500 receiving yards and 10 TDs.

QB Munchie Legaux -- Legaux was given a trial by fire as the Bearcats' starting QB when Zach Collaros was injured. He's an adept runner, but his throwing mechanics are suspect. The competition for Collaros' replacement will be front and center at spring camp.

DL Walter Stewart's full-time move to defensive line helped reignite UC's pass rush. He was second on the team with six sacks and will be counted on to anchor the defensive front in 2012.

LB Maalik Bomar will be needed to help fill the void left by JK Schaffer. Bomar ranked fifth on the team with 61 tackles.

WR Ralph David Abernathy IV could spark the Bearcats' return game and provide an added offensive threat. He averaged 26.5 yards per return during his freshman season including a 90-yard kick return TD in the Liberty Bowl.

PLAYER NOTES

--Former UC quarterback Greg Cook, a second-team all-American in 1968, passed away on Jan. 27 at the age of 65. He was a first-round draft choice by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1969 but suffered a shoulder injury during his rookie season that ultimately ended his career. "(Cook) could very well have been remembered as the greatest quarterback of all time," Bill Walsh said.

--Bearcats Coach Butch Jones was selected Big East Conference coach of the year. RB Isaiah Pead earned Big East offensive player of the year, and DT Derek Wolfe was named co-Big East defensive player of the year.

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