Cincinnati 2012 Recruiting

Cincinnati Bearcats 2012 ... Head Coach: Butch Jones

Cincinnati Bearcats

2011 Record: 8-3

Sep. 3 Austin Peay W 72-10
Sep. 10 at Tennessee L 45-23
Sep. 17 Akron W 59-14
Sep. 22 NC State W 44-14
Oct. 1 at Miami Univ. W 27-0
Oct. 8 OPEN DATE
Oct. 15 Louisville W 25-16
Oct. 22 at USF W 37-34
Oct. 29 OPEN DATE
Nov. 5 at Pitt W 26-23
Nov. 12 West Virginia L 24-21
Nov. 19 at Rutgers L 20-3
Nov. 26 at Syracuse
Dec. 3 Connecticut W 30-13
Liberty Bowl
Dec. 31 Vanderbilt L 31-24

2010 CFN Prediction: 8-4
2010 Record: 4-8

Sept. 4 at Fresno St L 28-14
Sept. 11 Indiana St W 40-7
Sept. 16 at NC State L 30-17
Sept. 25 Oklahoma L 31-29
Oct. 2 OPEN DATE
Oct. 9 Miami Univ. W 45-3
Oct. 15 at Louisville W 35-27
Oct. 22 USF L 38-30
Oct. 30 Syracuse L 31-7
Nov. 6 OPEN DATE
Nov. 13 at West Virginia L 37-10
Nov. 20 Rutgers W 69-38
Nov. 27 at Connecticut L 38-17
Dec. 4 Pitt L 28-10
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Cincinnati Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Bennie Coney
6-2, 210, Scout.com 35th ranked, three-star quarterback. Coney only played in four games in 2010 due to “a small infraction,” but still passed for around 1,100 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also rushed for 359 yards and five touchdowns. He says he can bench 285-pounds, squat 495 and has a 31-inch vertical jump.

2. CB Tion Green
6-0, 185, Scout.com 35th ranked, three-star cornerback.

3. DT Alex Pace
6-3, 260, Scout.com 43rd ranked, three-star defensive tackle.

4. QB Trenton Norvell
6-5, 205, Scout.com 75th ranked, three-star quarterback.

5. RB Deionte Buckley
5-9, 190, Scout.com 55th ranked, three-star running back.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Secondary. After a few years of going after receivers and skill player, the Bearcats need to strengthen a secondary that’ll be fine for the next two years but needs prospects for 2014 and beyond. Offense won’t be ignored, with head coach Butch Jones going after as many top players for the passing game as possible. Small and speedy Dennis Norfleet could be an instant impact running backs used in a variety of ways.

Team Concerns For 2012: The offensive line loses three starters and need a new left side. This year’s class isn’t going to address he line, but it’ll be the biggest concern this offseason. Defensive tackle is also a problem with Derek Wolfe and John Hughes leaving, but don’t expect anyone from the 2012 haul to make a difference this year.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: The Bearcats came up with a ten-win rebound season under Butch Jones, but now it could be rebuilding time again with QB Zach Collaros, RB Isaiah Pead, and DT Derek Wolfe three heart-and-soul players who need to be replaced. One of the nation’s top run defenses loses leading tackler J.K. Schaffer and has to replace both starting tackles. Three starters return to the secondary, Walter Stewart is a rising star, and SS Drew Frey can hit. The offense needs Munchie Legaux to play as well as his name working behind a retooled line that has to replace three starters. D.J. Woods is done, but the rest of the receiving corps returns, while George Winn, Jameel Poteat, and Ralph David Abernathy will all try to replace Pead, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Receivers. If head coach Butch Jones wants to bomb away, he has the class to do it. The defensive line got the biggest stars with Demetrius Alston, Silverberry Mouhon and Chad West three dangerous ends who can all get into the backfield. Throw in 300-pound Daniel Murray for the inside, and the line is set. Patrick Coyne should be the team’s star quarterback down the road, and Jameel Poteat is a speedy back who’ll be the focal point of the attack sooner than later. The big offensive push is at receiver with Shaquille Washington leading a loaded corps of seven prospects.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 52. That Class Was Heavy On ... Receivers. Butch Jones had to try to keep Brian Kelly's recruits coming to Cincinnati. Only three receivers were signed, but they'll be the key to the class with Dyjuan Lewis, a 6-2 target with 4.4 speed, the likely No. 1 man in the near future. The line got the most help for the defense with five prospects signed and needing Josh Russ and Cameron Beard to grow into roles on the end by 2013. Safety Arryn Chenault is too good to not get an early look at playing time.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 51. That Class Was Heavy On ... tight ends. Can you say overkill? Cincinnati has signed four of the country’s top 100 tight ends, providing plenty of depth for Ben Guidugli and Kazeem Alli. From the program that turned Connor Barwin into the Big East’s sack leader a year ago, you can count on one or two of these tight ends, like Will Saddler and Mitch Kessel, to switch position at some point in their ‘Cat careers.

Liberty Bowl
Cincinnati 31 … Vanderbilt 24
- CFN Thoughts on the Liberty Bowl

Cincinnati: The Bearcats ran for 221 yards. … Zach Collaros completed 12-of-29 passes for 80 yards and a score with two picks. … Isaiah Pead ran 28 times for 149 yards and a score. … Adrien Robinson caught four passes for 16 yards. … J.K. Schaffer made nine tackles with a sack.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores outgained the Bearcats 168 yards to 80 though the air. … Larry Smith completed 8-of-19 passes for 142 yards and a score with a pick, and Jordan Rodgers completed 4-of-14 passes for 26 yards with a pick. .. Zac Stacy ran 18 times for 57 yards and a score. … Jordan Matthews caught four passes for 56 yards. … Archibald Barnes made ten tackles with a blocked kick. … Casey Hayward made eight tackles with a tackle for loss and two picks.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Isaiah Pead ran for 149 yards and a touchdown, and Ralph David Abernathy IV's 90-yard kickoff return early in the fourth quarter put Cincinnati ahead to stay as the Bearcats edged Vanderbilt 31-24 on Saturday in the Liberty Bowl.

The Bearcats (10-3) capped the season with their third straight victory.

But the co-Big East Conference champs had to work to put away Vanderbilt (6-7), a team that tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference, despite forcing three turnovers and coming up with two sacks. The Commodores led 21-17 when Abernathy became the first Cincinnati player to return a kickoff for a TD in the program's 13 bowl appearances.

Vandy's Archibald Barnes blocked Tony Miliano's 39-yard field goal with 3:58 left, giving the Commodores the ball with plenty of time to go ahead. Nick Temple picked off a Larry Smith pass with 3:15 remaining, and Pead sealed the victory with a 12-yard TD run with 1:52 left.

Pead was the game's MVP.

Vanderbilt kicked a 35-yard field goal with 35 seconds left, but the Bearcats recovered the onside kick to kneel down for the victory.

Abernathy is the grandson of the civil rights leader who was in Memphis with Martin Luther King when he was assassinated in 1968.

George Winn also scored on a 69-yard TD run when he replaced Pead, while the Big East Offensive Player of the Year fixed a broken chin strap.

Zach Collaros, playing for the first time since breaking his right ankle Nov. 12, threw a touchdown pass but was intercepted twice. He was just 12 of 29 for 80 yards passing, though he moved around well.

Vanderbilt missed notching only its second winning record since 1982 with the loss.

This was only the fifth bowl for the SEC's only private university yet the second in four seasons. But the Commodores had trouble getting their offense going to match a defense that came up with three sacks and two interceptions - both by Casey Hayward.

Smith replaced Jordan Rodgers at quarterback in the third quarter, and he threw for 142 yards, including a short pass to Chris Boyd that the receiver took 68 yards up the right sideline before pulling up lame and diving into the end zone for a 21-17 lead with 14:03 left that lasted only as long as Abernathy could sprint down field after the kickoff.

The Bearcats led 14-7 at halftime and couldn't take advantage of two Vanderbilt turnovers in the third quarter.

The Commodores first muffed the opening kickoff before Rodgers was intercepted by Camerron Cheatham. Rodgers, the younger brother of NFL Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, didn't play after that. Coach James Franklin turned to Smith, who started the Commodores' Music City Bowl win in 2008.

Smith nearly pulled it off. He drove the Commodores 52 yards with a couple of key passes to set up Jerron Seymour's 5-yard TD run with 3:53 left in the quarter to tie it up at 14-all.

Zac Stacy also ran for a TD.

Nov. 26 Cincinnati 30 … at Syracuse 13  

Nov. 19 at Rutgers 20 … Cincinnati 3
CFN Analysis: And now the Bearcats see just how painful life is without Zach Collaros. Munchie Legaux ran well, but he was under pressure all game long and was painfully inefficient through the air, competing just 12-of-31 passes for 158 yards with a pick. … The Rutgers defensive front swarmed all over Isaiah Pead whenever he had the ball, holding him to 28 yards on 14 carries. … J.K. Schaffer was his normal tackling self, coming up with 13 tackles with a sack and two tackles for loss, but the linebackers made far too many plays down the field and couldn’t stop Jawan Jamison and the RU ground game. … There’s still time rally and even win the Big East title by beating Syracuse and UConn, but Legaux has to show he can put points on the board.

Nov. 12 West Virginia 24 … at Cincinnati 21
CFN Analysis: The all red uniforms and the emphasis put on getting this one win has to be ignored and fast with road games at Rutgers and Syracuse up next. The Big East title is still in UC’s hands, with the trip to the BCS there by winning out. The Bearcats are better than everyone else on the schedule, but it’s going to mean more Isaiah Pead than normal. He ran for 113 yards and a score. … Zach Collaros got knocked out with an ankle injury, but Munchie Legaux kept the offense moving with 77 rushing yards with a 65-yard touchdown to go along with 70 yards passing. He wasn’t Collaros, but he got the team in a position to force overtime before the game-ending blocked field goal. … One of the nation’s best punting games continues to be a major weapon. Pat O’Donnell averaged close to 43 yards per kick and did a nice job of bailing the team out of trouble.

Nov. 5 Cincinnati 26 … at Pittsburgh 23
CFN Analysis: It wasn’t the perfect game and it took a missed field goal late to avoid overtime, but the Big East is Cincinnati’s for the taking with a second straight three point win thanks to Isaiah Pead’s 118 rushing yards and a decent day from Zach Collaros, who made up for his two interceptions with two rushing scores. J.K. Schaffer came up with 13 tackles for a defense that was fine when it had to be in the second half, but also had to hang on. With West Virginia up next before going on the road to Rutgers and Syracuse, it’s not time to pack the bags for a BCS game. But at 7-1, Butch Jones has done a terrific job of turning things back around after last year’s disaster. This team is managing to find ways to win.  

Oct. 22 Cincinnati 37 … at South Florida 34
CFN Analysis: Zach Collaros was brilliant, and now the BCS spot is there for the taking. He might have thrown two picks, but he threw for 389 yards and two scores and led the way for the game-winning touchdown run against a defense talented enough and strong enough to have done far more. The secondary was a nightmare and the defensive front didn’t have its best day, but Collaros made up for the problems and the special teams were solid, led by a great day from punter Pat O’Donnell, who averaged 53.5 yards per kick and put two inside the 20. On a five game winning streak, now the season really starts with Pitt and West Virginia up next before going on the road to face Rutgers and Syracuse. This might not be 2009, but it’s a strong bounceback season after rebuilding last year.  

Oct. 15 at Cincinnati 25 … Louisville 16
CFN Analysis: It might have taken a little while to get the offense moving, but Louisville’s attack couldn’t stick it in the end zone and the Bearcat D tightened up in the second half. Zach Collaros was accurate, but he couldn’t come up with any deep plays and only managed 152 yards and a 26-yard touchdown pass to D.J. Woods. Isaiah Pead took control of the attack with 151 yards and a brilliant 50-yard run to all but put the game away. The punting game continues to be a major strength with Pat O’Donnell averaging close to 41 yards per kick and keeping the struggling Louisville offense pinned deep. With four of the next five games on the road, UC couldn’t blow the Big East opener.  

Oct. 1 Cincinnati 27 ... at Miami University 0
CFN Analysis: The conditions weren’t exactly ideal, but Zach Collaros still threw for 251 yards and a touchdown to overcome two picks and a mediocre day from the Bearcat ground game. Collaros ran well with 89 yards, and Isaiah Pead scored on two scores, but the offense couldn’t seem to get into a groove in a grinding win. The pass rush continues to be terrific and the run defense has been fantastic, and now it’s on to Big East play with Louisville the free space game before a nasty run of four road games in five. The team is playing well enough to be in the hunt for a bowl, but the secondary needs to start tightening up. 

Sept. 22 at Cincinnati 44 … NC State 14
CFN Analysis: Zach Collaros was terrific as now the Cincinnati offense really is rolling like the Cincinnati offense was supposed to last year under Butch Jones. Yes, the NC State defense is depleted, and yes, the Wolfpack offense kept screwing up, but 503 yards, 163 rushing yards from Isaiah Pead, and a brilliant performance by Collaros, with 263 yards and two touchdown passes and nine runs for 52 yards and two scores, showed in front of a national audience that the Bearcats are going to be a force in Big East play. If the run defense and the pass rush can continue to do what it did against the Wolfpack, watch out. 

Sept. 17 at Cincinnati 59 … Akron 14
CFN Analysis: The defense was the story with three first half touchdowns, but the key was the offense going back to being the Cincinnati offense with Zach Collaros in full control. Akron’s defense isn’t Tennessee’s but that’s fine for a Bearcat attack that keeps tuning up and keeps looking impressive against the mediocre. The defense did its part with six takeaways to make the game a laugher, and the offense took advantage of every shot to make the game a brutal blowout in the first half. Up 49-0 in halftime, thanks to a pick six from Camerron Cheatham to put an exclamation point on the ugliness, this was total and complete domination for the second time in three games. Next week against NC State will be a better test, and if the offensive line can continue to play as well as it did against the Zips, there won’t be any problems. 

Sept. 10 at Tennessee 45 ... Cincinnati 23
CFN Analysis: The Bearcats were great early on, but the defense couldn’t get off the field as Tennessee moved the chains on key play after key play. Isaiah Pead was held in check after a big 65-yard dash, but he finished with 155 yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries. The problem was that the O just didn’t get enough plays and it lost its rhythm as the game went on. The team appears to be far better and far stronger than it was last year, and Zach Collaros is a good, veteran ringleader who did what he could to get the offense moving, but it was simply outclassed. With Akron and NC State up next, it’ll be easy to get over the loss. 

Sept. 3 at Cincinnati 72 … Austin Peay 10
CFN Analysis: It was only against Austin Peay, but after a rough year offensively last season the Bearcats needed a cathartic moment, and they got it with 387 rushing yards and six scores, spread around among 13 players, and with Zach Collaros completing 12-of-19 passes for 134 yards and four scores, everything clicked. The defense gave up some yards, but it also forced five turnovers on the way to a blowout. No, this doesn’t mean everything is back to 2009 form, but for Butch Jones, it was a statement game to kick off the season before going to Tennessee. 

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Receivers. If head coach Butch Jones wants to bomb away, he has the class to do it. The defensive line got the biggest stars with Demetrius Alston, Silverberry Mouhon and Chad West three dangerous ends who can all get into the backfield. Throw in 300-pound Daniel Murray for the inside, and the line is set. Patrick Coyne should be the team’s star quarterback down the road, and Jameel Poteat is a speedy back who’ll be the focal point of the attack sooner than later. The big offensive push is at receiver with Shaquille Washington leading a loaded corps of seven prospects.

Five Cincinnati Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. RB Jameel Poteat
Decommitted from Pitt. 5-11, 200, Scout.com’s 28th ranked running back. A four-star prospect.

2. QB Patrick Coyne
Strong arm with the ability to make all the throws. Will continue to get better with experience. Above average athlete who could also play at linebacker at the college level. Hard runner who is not afraid to take a hit or give one.

3. WR Shaquille Washington
5-9, 160, Scout.com’s 60th ranked receiver

4. S Nick Temple
5-10, 200, Scout.com’s 37th ranked safety

5. OT Parker Ehinger
6-8, 260, Scout.com’s 51st ranked offensive tackle

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

Ralph David Abernathy IV RB 5-7 160 Atlanta, Ga./Westminster School
Demetrius Alston DL 6-4 215 Norcross, Ga./Norcross
Alex Chisum WR 6-3 184 Fayetteville, Ga./Sandy Creek
Rodriguez Coleman WR 6-3 180 Cincinnati, Ohio/LaSalle
Patrick Coyne QB 6-1 230 Cincinnati, Ohio/Badin
Parker Ehinger OL 6-7 265 Rockford, Mich./Rockford
Chad Hannah DL 6-5 215 Tampa, Fla./Gaither
Dwight Jackson LB 6-1 205 Miami, Fla./Miami Central
Damon Julian WR 6-3 215 Atco, N.J./Winslow Township/Pierce College
Brandon Mitchell DL 6-2 300 Cincinnati, Ohio/Withrow
Chris Moore WR 6-0 166 Tampa, Fla./Thomas Jefferson
Max Morrison WR 6-1 165 Kenton, Ohio/Kenton
Silverberry Mouhon DL 6-3 220 Norcross, Ga./Norcross
Daniel Murray OL 6-3 295 San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines
Justin Murray OL 6-5 254 Cincinnati, Ohio/Sycamore
Malcolm Murray DB 6-1 205 Glendale, Calif./Junipero Serra/Mount SAC
Trenier Orr DB 5-11 175 Winter Garden, Fla./Ocoee
Carroll Phillips DL 6-1 215 Miami, Fla./Miami Central
Jameel Poteat RB 5-11 200 Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt
Akise Teague RB 5-8 178 Youngstown, Ohio/Ursuline
Nick Temple LB 5-11 214 Indianapolis, Ind./Warren Central
Shaquille Washington WR 5-9 160 Maple Hts., Ohio/Maple Hts.
Stephen Weatherford QB 6-2 205 Odessa, Fla./Land O’Lakes
Chad West DL 6-6 210 Perry, Ohio/Perry