CFB insider Greg McElroy claims Cincinnati Bearcats better than their poor record indicates
The Cincinnati Bearcats, under coach Scott Satterfield, flattered to deceive last season after finishing with a 5-7 record, just barely missing out on bowl eligibility. The Bearcats lost their last five games of the season.
During Thursday's segment of ESPN's "Always College Football," analyst Greg McElroy highlighted the Bearcats returning class as a reason for optimism ahead of next season.
"Cincinnati over the past years have had pretty disappointing seasons," McElroy said. "But, if you look at some of the pieces that are back, they are in a pretty good spot. They have a solid offensive foundation centering around their quarterback Brendan Sorsby, he had a really nice 2024 season. He's now back and he'll be the centerpiece of what they wanna be on that side of the ball."
McElroy further broke down the reasons why the Bearcats' defensive unit will pose a huge threat to Big 12 teams with title ambitions, indicating that they were a better team than their record indicated.
"They bring back some of their top tacklers, including Jake Golday and defensive tackle Dantay Corleone, who is one of the best defensive tackles in the Big 12, he's gonna be a big problem," McElroy said. "And then they have also brought in 15 portal additions. This could be a team that at 5-7 last year, when you watched them, they felt better than their final record would indicate.
"They just made too many mistakes. If they can flip the script a little bit, it would not surprise me if Cincinnati is back in the 7-8 win type of realm and a team that could be a huge giant killer for one of the Big 12 teams with title hopes," he added.
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Cincinnati QB led mass return to Bearcats
Brendan Sorsby was one of the best quarterbacks in the Big 12 and the country despite the Bearcats' poor season. He tallied 2,813 passing yards resulting in 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions last season.
Despite being linked with a move away from the Bearcats, Sorsby affirmed his commitment to the team after losing 20-13 to the TCU Horned Frogs on Dec. 1. Defensive tackle Dontay Corleone, who could have declared for the NFL draft, followed suit a short time later. Sorsby's commitment further led to offensive lineman Gavin Gerhardt and tight end Joe Royer returning for an extra year.
"I felt like we left so much out there, and I was excited to get back and see what we can do this year," Sorsby said via 247Sports.com. "I don't want to put any guarantees out there, but just go out there and see what happens. I feel really good about where we're at right now."
Scott Satterfield's team will enter the 2025 college football season with renewed optimism due to their returning core on both sides of the ball.