UC Bearcats track and field team holds balance beam signing at new sports performance center
UC Bearcats track and field team holds balance beam signing for new track and field center to open in summer 2025
The 2024 two-week trip to West Harrison, Indiana, came to an end as the Cincinnati Bearcats football team departed by bus from the Higher Ground Conference and Retreat Center and headed to the friendly atmosphere of Nippert Stadium on Friday morning.
Back home, the morning rain let up and the team played a two-hour practice game to officially end the training camp portion of the season. Once again, Higher Ground was a success with its mix of soccer, food, cornhole, paintball and the coming together of different personalities.
5 Thoughts on the Return of the Cincinnati Bearcats from Higher Ground
- Who is the quarterback? The training game on Friday was significantly shorter and less tough than the training game last Saturday. Partly for safety reasons, as there were some injuries, especially in the defensive line.
All three quarterbacks, Brendan Sorsby, Brady Lichtenberg and Samaj Jones, played again on Friday with a realistic chance. Head coach Scott Satterfield says that all three will play.
“It’s been a great battle the last two weeks,” Satterfield said. “We’ll continue to monitor where we are after that film. My guess is early in the week, mid-week, we’ll definitely name a starter. We’ve been tracking every single rep, the decision-making, how accurate the throw is, the percentage of successful passes, the touchdown-to-interception ratio. From there, we’ll see who gives us the best chance to win games. We like to run the quarterback, we’re going to need our guys. We feel really good about the situation where we have three solid guys that we think can go out there and play to win.”
Coincidentally, Brendan Sorsby, who transferred from Indiana on Friday, was named to the preseason list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Sorsby threw for 1,587 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven starts for the Hoosiers last season. He also ran for 286 yards and scored four touchdowns.
2. Is Xzavier Henderson ready for a big season? Henderson was the best receiver last year with 58 catches for 782 yards but just three touchdowns. The former Florida Gator caught almost everything that came near him at Higher Ground and, at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, is a valuable bigger threat for UC.
Henderson credited offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Brad Glenn and assistant receivers coach Vijay Stingley for improving his catching technique and worked hard on the JUGS machine, which spits out balls at a rapid pace. Henderson was so impressed with the machine that he bought his own for his home.
“I had to invest in myself,” he said. “It’s in the backyard.”
Some of his Bearcats teammates live on site and feed him footballs, otherwise his mother is in charge.
“She really keeps me on my toes,” said Henderson. “‘Did you catch JUGS today? You have to go back there. I bought it for a reason!'”
3. UC’s receiver progression is as simple as 8, 9, and 10. Henderson wears No. 8. Returning Aaron Turner wears No. 9 and Chattanooga/UAB transfer Jamoi Mayes wears No. 10. When quarterbacks Sorsby and Brady Lichtenberg were tested at the higher ground, these three receivers were impressive.
The Bearcats also feature Florida Atlantic transfer Tony Johnson and UTEP transfer Tyrin Smith, as well as Princeton transfer Sterling Berkhalter, and the Kings’ Michael Mussari has also caught some impressive passes. Ball security was clearly an emphasis.
“Healthy competition is always good,” Turner said. “It will only motivate you to improve.”
Mayes said, “See the ball, take the ball. That’s my ball.”
4. More honors for the big ones. The offense’s advantage has been the return of the offensive line. Of that group, Luke Kandra has garnered numerous preseason accolades, most recently making the Lombardi Award watch list and a spot on the ESPN Preseason Second Team.
Kandra is also on the Outland Trophy and Maxwell Award nominees and was selected to the preseason All-Big 12 team by the Big 12 media. He has also been featured in Phil Steele and Athlon Sports publications. He has also been nominated for the Wuerffel Trophy for community service.
Although he is still limited as he recovers from blood clots in June, nose guard Dontay Corleone has also been amassing accolades. Not only is he on the Lombardi Award watch list with Kandra, but he is also on the preseason lists for the Bednarik Award and Outland Trophy. Like Kandra, he is also part of every All-Big 12 preseason team compiled by Big 12 Media and the Phil Steele and Athlon Sports staff.
The defensive line is a little questionable from the start due to Corleone’s situation and the loss of Mikah Coleman, who was transferred from Eastern Michigan and suffered a leg injury. Jalen Hunt, who originally filled in for “The Godfather,” also suffered a similar setback.
“Cam Roetheford (Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer) has been back the last two practices, he’s made some good plays, he’s definitely a guy we have to count on,” Satterfield said. “Now it’s going to be a matter of who the young players are that step up and make some plays like (Marquaze) Parker. He’s got to be a guy that helps us this year.”
Satterfield is happy with the guys behind the defensive line and calls the linebackers one of his strengths. Jack Dingle has gone from a young talent to a team leader. He is now surrounded by Jared Bartlett, who transferred from West Virginia, Jake Golday, who transferred from Central Arkansas, returning starters Jonathan Thompson, Brian Simms and freshmen Simeon Coleman and Montay Weedon.
“I learned from the old guys: Joel Deblanko, Darrian Beavers, Wil Huber,” Dingle said. “They taught me how to be when you’re that age. It took a lot of snaps to get to where I am today.”
5. The tight ends are better. Chamon Metayer left the portal before the end of the season and Payten Singletary left after the spring.
No worries.
Joe Royer has looked like everyone hoped he would and proved himself with four touchdowns in last Saturday’s practice game. Joey Beljan missed last year but is a weapon, and Francis Sherman transferred from Arkansas but knows the coaching staff from his time at Louisville. And 6-foot-6, 250-pound Gavin Grover caught two touchdowns on Friday and could be a strong weapon in the red zone as a true freshman.
Beam ceremony for new indoor facility
Following the UC Bearcats football practice, a ceremonial signing took place at the rafters, where University President Neville Pinto, Athletic Director John Cunningham and Head Coach Scott Satterfield joined Larry and Rhonda Sheakley to mark a major step in the new $134 million indoor training facility and performance center.
Thanks to the Sheakleys’ generous donation, the new state-of-the-art facilities are scheduled to be completed in spring 2025.
“It’s going to be buzzing here soon when our student-athletes take it over,” Cunningham said. “We’ll be moving in next summer and it can’t happen soon enough.”
Cunningham also said the relationship between UC and Higher Ground will continue as a new 10-year contract has been signed.
The 80,000-square-foot indoor training facility features a 120-yard football field suitable for multiple sports. The field provides an all-weather environment for Cincinnati Bearcats practice and year-round training sessions and offers direct access to the Performance Center’s weight room, training room and performance nutrition stations.
“For us to compete at this level, we have to have it,” Satterfield said. “When we bring in recruits, whether it’s a high school recruit or the portal, and they’ve already been to schools in the Big 12 that have these things, they want to see this. We haven’t had that before. I can’t wait to get into this new building. It’s going to help us tremendously as we move forward as a program.”
