Big 12 Media Days have been ongoing this week, with several Bearcats getting to the podium to talk with national media on Thursday. First-year head coach Scott Satterfield took the trip down to Dallas to AT&T Stadium with several key players. Defensive linemen Dontay Corleone and Jowon Briggs, quarterback Emory Jones, and linebacker Deshawn Pace represented the program at the event.
When Satterfield met with ESPN, covering the event live, there were a lot of questions thrown at him about the difficulties of not only being a first-year head coach but also entering the first year in a Power 5 conference. He also had to address the mass exodus of players into the transfer portal during the off-season, and the need to fill roster spots quickly. Satterfield said that he had to re-recruit all of the current players while hitting the portal hard, getting a total of 21 new players. Here are some big takeaways that came from Bearcat representatives this week.
Cincinnati Bearcats Big 12 Media Day Takeaways
Evan Prater’s Position Change
One of the biggest takeaways from Big 12 media day was the news that quarterback Evan Prater is making the position change to wide receiver. Prater is a very impressive athlete that undoubtedly has the skill set to make this change. His older brother, Garyn Prater, was a former Ohio St wide receiver who transferred to UC in 2020. With Evan’s size and athletic ability, the coaching staff is presumably fully bought in and confident that he can make this transition a smooth one. Satterfield seemed excited about the potential when he addressed the move. “He’s a great athlete, we want to get him on the field, so what’s the best way to get him on the field? Let’s move him to wide receiver. He’s been meeting with them, training with them, and he’s looked really good.”
Prater will be an interesting addition to this room that has one returning scholarship player. Expect to see Prater as a downfield, vertical threat due to his size, but his athletic ability allows him to create after the catch and be a force in this passing game.
With the incoming transfers of Xzavier Henderson, Dee Wiggins, and Donavan Ollie, and now adding Prater, the receiver room is one to monitor and can even be a strength to this offense.
Player’s Highlighted
Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone
You won’t get much pushback if you were to say that defensive lineman Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone is the Bearcats’ best-returning player, or even if you said he’s one of the best in the Big 12. He is more than a brute force up the middle who is virtually immovable. Pairing incredible strength with great hands and impressive short-area quickness at 6-2, 318 pounds, he’s someone you want on your team. Satterfield spoke highly of “The Godfather” saying, “He is as strong as a player I have ever seen. He’s exactly the type of player you want inside. He can run with some of our linebackers at his size.”
Daniel Grzesiak
Utah St transfer Daniel Grzesiak was another player who was talked about in depth. He’s coming off an impressive few years at Nevada before spending last year with the Aggies. Even though he’s only been there since January, Satterfield said he brings a lot of leadership to the defense, not to mention his experience and production. Satterfield mentioned that he’ll play outside linebacker and come off the edge this season. He definitely is a guy to watch and one that should be a staple in this defense all year.
Satterfield’s Points
Big 12 Media Days were a chance to learn some things about the prospects of this upcoming 2023 season for Cincinnati and we did just that. Satterfield was open about the difficulties of being a first-year coach of a successful program making the jump to a Power 5 league. He talked a lot about recruiting and how things can expand a bit for them being in this new conference now, but starting with guys in and around Cincinnati that have proven to be so crucial for the program. Three of the four players who went down to Dallas are Cincinnati natives, Satterfield pointed out.
He also spoke a lot about the culture and how important it is for him to establish a winning staff and locker room. “First and foremost, we wanna have good men. We surround ourselves with guys who know football, have won championships, a bunch of winners,” Satterfield said.
Bearcat fans should be gaining excitement for this season with a ton of new faces, an understatement there, but new guys like Jones, Grzesiak, and Young joining season veterans Corleone, Briggs, and Pace can make for an exciting inaugural Big 12 season.
Photo courtesy: Austin American Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK
