I’m not one to obsess about player rankings, how many stars are next to a recruit’s name, and so on, but it is great to know this year the Bearcats secured their best football recruiting class during the Tubs Era in year 3. Tubs says it best: “Rankings are made for teams that sell a lot of magazines,” However, in AAC terms, this class ranked #1 in the conference by ESPN, Rivals, and Scout. Nationally, this class was ranked 56th by Rivals and 59th by Scout.
UC added 28 players to its roster, including 10 early enrollees already on campus and able to participate in spring ball. The Bearcats focused their recruiting in Ohio and Florida, with 6 athletes coming from each state. In total, there are players from 13 states in all. Here is the breakdown:
- 5 offensive linemen and 5 defensive linemen
- 4 linebackers
- 4 wide receivers
- 2 defensive backs
- 2 running backs
- 2 tight ends
- 1 quarterback
- 1 athlete
- 2 kickers
For an earlier breakdown of the class and 4-star pro-style QB Ross Trail check out our earlier article.
While Trail is the prize of the class, UC added quite a surprise yesterday on National Recruiting Day in securing 3-star speedster and wide out Kahlil Lewis from Miramar, Florida who switched from West Virginia. The 6’0” 179 lb. receiver had offers from Ohio State, Minnesota, Arkansas, Miami (FL), Pitt, Syracuse, and Utah, just to name a few.
Tuberville claims JUCO linebacker Jaylyin Minor and JUCO defensive end Lyndon Johnson will have an immediate impact next year. You may have noticed Johnson is named after the 36th President of the United States.
Receiver Johnny Holton might not be the fastest player on the team now. Running back Joshuwa Holloman from Michigan has reportedly been clocked at 4.26 in the 40-yard dash and is the 2-time Michigan state champion in the 100 meter dash.
Offensive lineman Norman Oglesby is 6’ and 265 lbs. and can do standing backflips so that’s a plus.
And then there are articles like this: Football Signing Day: Cincinnati Bearcats recruiting class lacks local flavor.
Despite signing the best class under Tubs, Channel 9 news focused on “a lack of local talent.” While every dumb statement doesn’t require a response, UC had 8 Ohio players in the class last year. Also, out of the 5 top recruits this year, 4 of them are from Ohio. It takes time for new coaching staffs to build roots in recruiting grounds, and Tubs is now showing local results in year 3.
By Andy Smith