It’s widely known that the 2023 Bearcat team is going to look different this season. With so many incoming transfers, the offense especially will have plenty of new faces. The defense is in a similar boat, it will have plenty of new, key contributors, especially at the linebacker position.
Position Group Breakdown: Cincinnati Linebackers
Coach Scott Satterfield brings over his longtime defensive coordinator, Bryan Brown, with him to Cincinnati. 39-year-old Brown spent his playing days in Mississippi for the Rebels and after several coaching stops along the way, he became Satterfield’s DC in 2012 at Appalachian St and has been a staple in every Satterfield-lead team since.
Brown will bring a new look schematically to this defense. Former defensive coordinators Marcus Freeman and Mike Tressel employed a 3-3-5 stack-style defense. This obviously brought a ton of success for some former players, especially most recently linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. Pace Jr recorded 136 tackles, 20.5 TFL’s and 9 sacks, and was the first Bearcat ever to become a unanimous all-American last season for the Bearcats.
Brown brings in more of a 3-4-4 style with a lot of position flexibility all over the field. The strength of this Cincinnati defense is the defensive line, no question about it. Dontay Corleone, Jowon Briggs, Malik Vann, and Eric Phillips are all names that return with significant contributions. However, the Linebacker room is going to be very important in this new style of defense under Brown. There are some familiar faces to Bearcat fans, and some familiar faces to this new staff. And also some brand new faces to everyone in Cincinnati. It’s an intriguing room that we’ll dive into here.
#6 Dorian Jones
Dorian Jones will be a new face for all Cincinnati fans this season, but he is very familiar to Coach Brown and most of this new defensive staff. A solid transfer addition to the linebacker group, the Plantation, FL native spent 4 years at Louisville, all with Satterfield and Brown. He saw some time playing middle backer for them, recording action in 36 career games with totals of 87 tackles and 4 sacks.
Jones’ Outlook
The 6’0, 230 pounds former 3-star recruit will bring a lot of experience to the room, especially when it comes to knowledge of this new system. As for traits, there is a good bit of tape of Jones to study. After a quick look, Jones seems to be a smart player. He likely is not going to wow you with great strength, quickness, or athleticism. He might struggle at the point of attack due to a lack of great size. But, Jones is a cerebral player that is in the position to make a play most of the time. One of his best traits is play recognition. He’ll shoot gaps and fill holes on run plays well, whether he’s just blowing up the guy blocking him or ducking under and making the tackle. He plays with good pursuit and effort and should be steady in the middle of the defense.
#49 Jack Dingle
Jack Dingle is a young Linebacker on this team, coming into just his second season of play for UC. He redshirted in 2021, then played very sparingly in 2022. He recorded 13 tackles in 12 appearances, mostly on special teams. Dingle is someone that fans should be excited about, however. He ranked as the 6th overall player in Kentucky in 2020, a fairly decorated recruit. He is a Louisville native, so Satterfield and co. are very familiar with the 6’4, 238-pound linebacker and former 3-star recruit from Louisville Trinity HS. The Bearcats beat out Satterfield’s Cardinals back in 2020 to land a commitment from Dingle.
Dingle has Bearcat Football in his genes. He is a second-generation player in this program. According to the team website, his father, Nate, was a standout defensive lineman back in the early 90s, and his brother, Jacob Dingle, is a current Safety for the team.
This young Linebacker will bring some inexperience to the room. However, both the old and new coaching staffs were very high on him coming out of high school. You have to believe that Satterfield and Brown are excited about the potential Dingle has this season.
#42 Dion Hunter
Dion Hunter is one of those guys that will be brand new to both Cincinnati fans and Satterfield’s staff. He enters the room as a transfer from New Mexico where he spent 3 seasons, logging over 900 snaps for the Lobos. The Rio Rancho, NM native has 112 total tackles and 3 sacks in his career.
What Hunter Brings to the Table
6’2 and 225 pounds is what Hunter is listed at. He has the optics of a traditional, old-school linebacker. Big, strong, and always looking to take someone’s head off. He plays with good pursuit and range, although he likely won’t be making many tackles from sideline to sideline. There were many instances last season where he was positioned at the line of scrimmage and could cause some disruption. He does have tendencies to over-pursue or get swallowed up by offensive linemen from time to time. Hunter is a bit stiff, he doesn’t excel in coverage but can manage. A high-energy guy that you like to have on your team.
Hunter will bring playing experience to this defense and at the least some solid depth. He could certainly break his way into the lineup and see some significant snaps as the season goes on. He will likely be listed as a backup to start the season, with Dingle likely getting the first chance, but Hunter is a guy that this defense will likely need to contribute for a successful 2023 campaign.
Wrap Up
You won’t find an Ivan Pace Jr on this season’s defense. There are a lot of tackles that need to be replaced by these new faces with the departures of Pace Jr, Ty Van Fossen, and Wil Huber. There is an intriguing combination of in-scheme experience, young prospects, and overall playing experience in this room. Some combination of these three guys will likely be holding down the middle of the field. Cincinnati fans are used to dominating defenses over the past few seasons. This stand-up linebacker position group will need to be solid for fans to see that again this year.
