Cincinnati Bearcats Football

The University of Cincinnati announced Tuesday the death of freshman offensive lineman Jeremiah Kelly.

We are mourning the loss of @GoBearcatsFB freshman Jeremiah Kelly, who passed unexpectedly at his residence early Tuesday morning.

Our hearts are with the Kelly family as well as Jeremiah's friends and teammates.

📝: https://t.co/YcR8I6unek pic.twitter.com/VNjCUMdIs7

— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) April 22, 2025

"The Bearcats football family is heartbroken by the sudden loss of this outstanding young man," head coach Scott Satterfield said. "In the short time Jeremiah has spent with our team, he has made a real impact, both on the field and in our locker room. My prayers are with the Kelly family and those who had the pleasure of knowing Jeremiah."

Athletic director John Cunningham called Kelly's death a "heartbreaking loss."

"All of us at UC send our love and prayers to the Kelly family and we will do everything that we can to support them and our Bearcats student-athletes in the difficult days and weeks ahead," he said.

The Big 12 also issued a statement:

The Big 12 Conference is deeply saddened by the passing of Cincinnati football student-athlete Jeremiah Kelly.

We extend our condolences to Jeremiah’s family and loved ones. Our thoughts are with the entire Cincinnati community. pic.twitter.com/KcsaZkYtSh

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) April 22, 2025

Kelly was a 3-star recruit and the No. 65 overall player in the state of Ohio in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2025 class. A graduate of Avon High School, he was an all-conference honoree as the school lifted a Division II title, its first ever.

Kelly graduated from high school early in order to enroll at Cincinnati in January.

HEIGHT: 6'1½"

WEIGHT: 313

HAND: 9⅞"

ARM: 32¼"

WINGSPAN: 78¾"

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40-YARD DASH: 5.00

3-CONE: 7.53

SHUTTLE: 4.71

VERTICAL: 26"

BROAD: 8'8"

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POSITIVES

— Posted good testing numbers at the Big 12 pro day with a 7.26 RAS out of 10.

— Played several positions up and down the defensive line during his college career.

— Decent get-off, quick to react ot the snap and solid acceleration off the line of scrimmage.

— Has some upper-body strength to help gain control of the block when he does pick his hands straight up from the ground.

— Showed flashes of a good club to arm-over move as a pass-rusher and has a solid motor with active hands.

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NEGATIVES

— Not very long, which limits how much extension he can get on blocks, and offensive linemen with longer arms will be able to get to his body/chest. Often plays with his hands down by his waist, too.

— Takes on blocks with subpar leverage. Has a habit of standing up out of his stance.

— Lacks lower-body strength to fight back against pressure from down blocks, leading to him getting washed inside.

— Below-average lateral movement skills will lead to him getting reached or scooped.

— Hips look tight, hurting his ability to bend and clear his lower half when working pass-rush moves.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 27 TOT, 6 TFL, 2 SK

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NOTES

— Born Sept. 1, 2001

— 4-star recruit in the 2019 class, per 247Sports

— Played at Virginia for two seasons before transferring to Cincinnati is 2021

— No major injuries

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OVERALL

Jowon Briggs turned some heads at the Big 12 pro day by weighing over 15 pounds heavier than his roster weight and putting up impressive testing numbers, highlighted by a 5.0-second 40-yard dash and 39 reps on the bench press. He's also a versatile defensive lineman who lined up at just about every technique in college.

That will help Briggs land on an NFL team's radar since he projects as a backup who can play multiple positions. However, he does lack NFL length, which shows up on tape.

Briggs also blends in more than he stands out, which is reflected by his rather underwhelming numbers this past season.

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GRADE: 5.4 (Backup/UDFA with Roster Potential — UDFA)

OVERALL RANK: 240

POSITION RANK: DL24

PRO COMPARISON: Antwaun Woods

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

Visit B/R's NFL Scouting Department hub for scouting reports on all of the top prospects.

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 187

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 29 7/8"

WINGSPAN: 73"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.54

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 33.5"

BROAD: 9'7"

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POSITIVES

—Experience at multiple spots in the secondary

—Good at tracking the ball

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NEGATIVES

—Lack of overall athletic gifts and fluidity

—Struggles mightily with mirroring receivers in man coverage

—Not an overly physical player

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2022 STATISTICS

—34 TKL, 2 INT, 5 PBU, 1 FF

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NOTES

DOB: 05/10/2000

36 Starts

2022 All-AAC Honorable Mention

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OVERALL

Arquan Bush was an important piece of the Cincinnati Bearcats defense over the past four seasons during their emergence onto the national stage. After starting at nickel in 2020 and 2021, Bush primarily played outside in 2022, providing him with valuable experience at multiple spots. However, his limited athletic ability clouds his future and projection at the next level.

Against the run, Bush is always willing to get in the action and is a quality tackler at contact. He tends to struggle with shedding blocks and lacks physicality to his game. Overall, Bush is an average run defender at best.

Bush's lack of athletic gifts is most apparent in coverage. An overall lack of fluidity and ability to change direction forced Cincinnati to keep him well off the line of scrimmage in an effort to keep receivers in front of him. While he does a good job of tracking the football and making plays on the ball, Bush has a difficult time mirroring receivers and gets separated from them consistently, creating a mismatch in coverage that teams will attack. Simply put, Bush is a liability in man coverage that teams look to attack for explosive plays.

Overall, Bush's path to the next level is through his versatility, as he has showcased the ability to fill multiple spots on the defense. While his athletic traits will keep him from truly blossoming into an impact player, Bush can certainly provide valuable depth to an NFL defense.

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GRADE: 5.6 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 246

POSITION RANK: CB29

PRO COMPARISON: Kary Vincent Jr.

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings

HEIGHT: 6'6½"

WEIGHT: 248

HAND: 9½"

ARM: 31½"

WINGSPAN:

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40-YARD DASH: 4.69

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 33.5"

BROAD: 9'7"

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POSITIVES

— Above-average speed. Can be a horizontal field-stretcher.

— Good quickness for his size.

— Above-average route running and change of direction. Quick feet and smooth hips.

— Good ball skills. Finds the ball outside his frame reliably.

— Smart and high-energy blocker.

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NEGATIVES

— Play strength can be underwhelming. Not going to box people out in the red zone.

— Below-average blocking strength. Great willingness and technique, but bigger, stronger defenders can crush him.

— Average YAC skills. Doesn't do much as a ball-carrier that pops.

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2023 STATISTICS

— 11 G, 32 REC, 326 YDS (10.2 AVG), 3 TD

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NOTES

— DOB: September 8, 1999

— 3-star recruit in 2018 class, per 247Sports' composite rating

— 19 career starts

— 2020 second-team All-AAC, 2022 first-team All-AAC

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OVERALL

Josh Whyle is a jack-of-all, master-of-none tight end prospect whose hands and adequate athletic profile project well to the pros.

Whyle is a nice athlete across the board. He doesn't have any one dominant movement skill, but he clears the bar in every respect. Whyle comes with enough speed to threaten seams, crossers and underneath routes, as well as the quick footwork and flexibility to be a steady route-runner on sharper routes. Whyle's complete, if unflashy, athletic profile also allows him to flex around the formation in terms of alignment, including wide receiver alignments.

Whyle is also a great ball-tracker. Despite his short arms, Whyle shows great ability to locate the ball quickly and adjust his body to the ball. On film, Whyle proved capable of snatching throws outside his frame as well as the ability to go in the air or to the ground to secure errant throws. His catch radius is impressive.

Additionally, Whyle is a feisty blocker. His short arms and thin frame can give him issues when it comes to executing and out-muscling his opponents, but you can always trust that Whyle will find his mark and give it everything he has. Whyle also has the movement skills to be a nice blocker out in space.

Play strength is Whyle's primary issue. Whyle struggles with play strength not just as a blocker, but as a pass-catcher. Whyle isn't the kind of tight end to body defenders up in the red zone.

Whyle also lacks a little something when it comes to YAC. His adequate athletic profile across the board makes him better than useless as a ball-carrier, but he doesn't have a key trait to lean on as a calling card. Whyle neither has the blazing speed to reliably threaten chunk gains, nor does he have the balance and strength to be a high-level chain-mover.

Whyle can be an effective TE2 right away. He is a high-energy blocker, a solid athlete and has a great catch radius with reliable hands. Combine that with his positional flexibility, and you have a perfect TE2 who can be put into any role to "unlock" the rest of the personnel grouping. Whyle's play strength and lack of a dynamic athletic trait may limit his ceiling, but he could still develop into a quality TE1 in due time.

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GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player/Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 128

POSITION RANK: TE8

PRO COMPARISON: Austin Hooper

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

HEIGHT: 5'10 1/2"

WEIGHT: 231

HAND: 9 1/2"

ARM: 30 1/4"

WINGSPAN: 72 1/4"

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40-YARD DASH: 4.62

3-CONE: 7.18

SHUTTLE: 4.4

VERTICAL: 35"

BROAD: 9'8"

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POSITIVES

– Comes downhill like a heat-seeking missile and is physical at the point of attack to stun guards when blitzing. Clearly craves contact.

– Good at using his quickness and a shoulder dip to avoid contact/make offensive linemen miss.

– Better at taking on blocks with his hands when working laterally versus outside runs. Has the speed to play with good range as a run defender if he gets his angles down.

– Uses his hands well when rushing the passer and has a wide pass-rushing arsenal for an off-ball linebacker that includes a cross chop, rip, spin move and bull rush. Running backs will struggle to keep him away from the quarterback in pass protection.

– Agile to be an effective looper in line games and can take an efficient path to the quarterback when rushing the passer.

– Plenty of speed to close on the quarterback.

– Good at reading the quarterback's eyes to bat passes at the line of scrimmage.

– Has no issues getting to his depth when spot-dropping with his speed and athletic ability.

– High-motor, high-energy type of player.

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NEGATIVES

– Significantly undersized for an NFL linebacker; height, weight and arm length are an issue.

– Shaky instincts overall. Takes too long to key and diagnose run plays and has subpar eye discipline in zone coverage. Also has instances where he fits into the wrong gap against the run.

– When taking on blocks heads up, doesn't use his hands and ends up going chest-to-chest with offensive linemen. Getting extension and getting off blocks might always be an issue with him given his short arms.

– Will struggle to hold his ground against NFL offensive linemen, especially if they have a strong base and can survive initial contact. Lacks some lower-body strength to dig his heels in the ground.

– Angles are too shallow versus outside runs.

– Somewhat untested in coverage. Cincinnati rarely had him play in man and would blitz him frequently on passing downs.

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2022 STATS

– 13 G, 136 TOT (55 SOLO), 20.5 TFL, 9 SK, 4 PD, 2 FF

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NOTES

– Born December 16, 2000

– Miami (OH) transfer

– A 2-Star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 3,045 overall, No. 142 ILB, per 247Sports' composite rankings

– 29 career starts

– 2022 Honors: Unanimous First-Team All-American, AAC Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-AAC, Butkus Award Finalist, Chuck Bednarik Award Finalist

– Brother, Deshawn, also plays linebacker at Cincinnati

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OVERALL

Ivan Pace Jr.'s skill set is similar to that of Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

Like Parsons, Pace is a good athlete for the position. He can be a force when coming downhill and has an impressive pass-rushing arsenal for an off-ball linebacker, which can be a huge asset in the right system. However, he doesn't have Parsons' size. Parsons was 6'3" and 245 pounds coming out of Penn State, while Pace is 5'10 1/2" and 231 pounds.

The Cincinnati product is best when blitzing, but his lack of strength and length shows up against the run when he doesn't have a head of steam and has to take on blocks heads up. He doesn't appear to have a ton of room for growth on his frame, either, so this might be as big as he gets, and he certainly isn't getting any longer.

Pace also struggles in coverage. His eye discipline when playing zone is subpar, and the Bearcats typically had him blitz when they played man coverage. He has a unique skill set as a pass-rusher. but needs to be paired with a creative defensive coordinator who dials up exotic blitzes and isn't reliant on linebackers in coverage.

That makes Pace's scheme fit a challenging one, which, coupled with his lack of size, could cause him to fall on draft day. With that being said, he'd be a great addition for a team that's looking for someone to get after the quarterback and play special teams. It will help that he has experience in the latter at both schools he attended.

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GRADE: 6.4 (High-Level Developmental Prospect/5th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 149

POSITION RANK: LB9

PRO COMPARISON: Denzel Perryman

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Written by B/R NFL Draft Scout Matt Holder

HEIGHT: 5'10"

WEIGHT: 177

HAND: 9"

ARM: 30 7/8"

WINGSPAN: TBD

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40-YARD DASH: 4.44

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 39.5"

BROAD: 11'1"

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POSITIVES

— Very good speed. Enough to be a team's leading field-stretcher.

— Great quickness and short-area burst.

— Good YAC skills. Speed and quickness allow for some explosive gains.

— Very good ball tracking and hand-eye coordination to find the ball from various positions.

— Good toughness and ability to catch in traffic for his size.

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NEGATIVES

— Not the cleanest route-runner yet. Can take too many steps rounding off his routes at the top.

— Poor play-strength as a route-runner. Can struggle versus press; often fails to fight for positioning once it's lost.

— YAC will be limited to opportunities in space. Not big/strong enough to fight for extra yards.

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2022 STATISTICS

— 12 GM, 54 REC, 899 YDS (16.6 AVG), 9 TD

---

NOTES

— 3-star recruit in 2020 class

— Two-year starter, 19 career starts

— 2022 second-team All-AAC

— Missed three games in 2022 with an ankle injury

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OVERALL

Tyler Scott is a fast, twitchy receiver who thrives in space, but he may be somewhat limited because of his size and play strength.

Scott is a blur in the open field. He blazed a 4.44 40-yard dash, and there's an argument that he plays even faster than that on film. Cincinnati's leading receiver hits his top speed in a hurry and has that extra gear to rip the ceiling off any defense. Scott is just as athletic in short areas. His stop/start quickness is a nightmare for opposing defenses, and his short-area acceleration to ruin tackling angles is his secret weapon when it comes to YAC. When making the most of open grass, few in this class can rival Scott.

Better yet, Scott is craftier and tougher at the catch point than most receivers his size. He isn't necessarily a jump ball winner, but he tracks the ball exceptionally well and can comfortably haul it in no matter the location. Scott is also stronger at the catch point than he looks. He has shown the ability to come down with passes in the air as well as hold on to the ball after taking a shot across the middle. That kind of toughness will come in handy.

Most of Scott's current issues boil down to route-running. For one, Scott can be a little too loose. He trusts his quickness and speed to get the job done, which can result in him being sloppy at the top of routes and letting cornerbacks read the route. That can be worked on, but it will take some time. Additionally, Scott struggles mightily in the strength department. Scott doesn't handle press well, nor does he have the size and strength to outmuscle defensive backs for positioning once he's lost it.

Scott can be an effective WR3 right away with the potential to blossom into a WR2. His size and strength will always be a hinderance, but his speed, quickness and hands will bode well for him when it comes to generating space and capitalizing on open grass. Scott's best fit would be in an offense that stresses his vertical prowess while sprinkling in cheap YAC opportunities with underneath crosses and screens.

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GRADE: 7.2 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter - 3rd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 74

POSITION RANK: WR10

PRO COMPARISON: Tyler Lockett

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen

Cincinnati reportedly plans to hire Louisville's Scott Satterfield as its next head football coach.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported the six-year deal will be announced later Monday.

Cincinnati and Louisville are slated to play in the Fenway Bowl later this month. It's unclear if Satterfield will finish out his season with Louisville to play against his new team.

Satterfield, 49, has compiled a 25-24 record over four seasons at Louisville. The Cardinals have made three bowls but have never finished with more than eight wins.

Satterfield previously spent six years at Appalachian State, compiling a 51-24 record and three bowl wins. He is set to replace Luke Fickell, who took the head-coaching job at Wisconsin.

Fickell leaves behind a strong program that has won 57 games over the last six seasons. The Bearcats finished as a Top 10 team in 2020 and 2021, becoming the first Group of Five squad to make the College Football Playoff last season.

Cincinnati will join a revamped Big 12 in 2023 as the conference prepares for the departures of Texas and Oklahoma in 2025.

The program's decision to hire Satterfield may confuse some given his relative lack of success at Louisville. He'll leave the program with a worse record than his predecessor, Bobby Petrino, and with the second-worst record for a Louisville coach since the turn of the century.

At the time he came to Cincinnati, Fickell was one of the most highly sought-after assistant coaches in the nation. It wouldn't have been a surprise if the school dipped its toes into the assistant ranks for a replacement, but it's clear the administration valued head-coaching experience in the search.

The Wisconsin Badgers are making Luke Fickell their next head football coach, announcing his hiring on Sunday.

𝐀 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐄𝐑𝐀 𝚰𝐍 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝚰𝐒𝐎𝐍

Welcome @CoachFick ! pic.twitter.com/ybE9U3b3nu

— Wisconsin Football (@BadgerFootball) November 27, 2022

The news doesn't come as a major surprise. Earlier on Sunday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported the Badgers had targeted the former Cincinnati head honcho to take over as head coach.

Former head coach Paul Chryst was fired midseason, with defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard taking over for him on an interim basis.

Thamel noted that "Fickell's attraction to the Badgers' brass, along with his record and roots in the league, is his ability to build a program."

Fickell, 49, has had great success with the Bearcats, going 57-18 in six seasons, including last year's 13-1 team that reached the College Football Playoff. Nine of his players from that team were selected in the 2022 NFL draft, including cornerback Sauce Gardener (No. 4 overall, New York Jets), safety Bryan Cook (No. 62 overall, Kansas City Chiefs) and quarterback Desmond Ridder (No. 74 overall, Atlanta Falcons).

Fickell also spent one season as Ohio State's interim head coach in 2011, going 6-7 after Jim Tressel was fired. He was on the Buckeyes' coaching staff between the 2002-16 seasons, including stints as the co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach (2005-10, 2012-16).

Wisconsin went 67-26 in parts of eight seasons under Chryst and has gone 4-3 this year with Leonhard at the helm. Jeff Potrykus of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported this week that the Badgers were considering hiring him as the full-time head coach as early as Sunday.

"They want to get moving as soon as they can," a source told Potrykus.

Per that report, Baylor coach Dave Aranda and Kansas coach Lance Leipold were also evaluated by the school as potential replacements for Chryst. Leonhard, meanwhile, somewhat addressed the possibility of being named the full-time coach this week.

"I don't really want to get into much of that right now," he told reporters. "This week to me is about this season, this group of players... I don't want that attention for our guys. ... Going to have some conversations this week and hopefully it leads in the direction I want it to go."

But in the end, Wisconsin honed in on Fickell and got its man.

The Big 12 will add four new schools in the summer of 2023.

Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston and BYU will officially join the conference next summer.

American Athletic Conference Commissioner Mike Aresco announced Friday the AAC has reached early-exit agreements with UCF, Cincinnati and Houston that will take effect July 1, 2023, and allow them to move to the Big 12.

UCF, Cincinnati and Houston are officially headed to the Big 12 in 2023. pic.twitter.com/70XfFtxuZQ

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) June 10, 2022

The Big 12 announced in September that all four schools would join the conference "no later than the 2024-25 athletic year."

Per ESPN's Heather Dinich, AAC bylaws require schools to give a 27-month notice before they leave in addition to paying a $10 million buyout fee. The earliest exit date for the schools if they abided by those rules would have been July 1, 2024.

Aresco told Dinich the AAC was willing to negotiate a higher exit fee that would allow UCF, Cincinnati and Houston to leave early:

"We typically do, because it's not a great situation when you know somebody's leaving. Often you can mitigate some of that by just again getting a larger exit fee and having them leave earlier so we'll certainly be willing to negotiate that as we've done in the past and as other conferences have done in the past, but I can't tell you precisely yet at this point, nobody's indicated what year."

Per Brett McMurphy of the Action Network, the three schools are paying $18 million apiece to leave early after the AAC initially sought $45 million.

All of these moves come after Texas and Oklahoma accepted invitations in July to join the SEC from the Big 12.

Per Brian Davis of the Austin American-Statesman, the 2024-25 athletic year is "still a more realistic target date" for the Longhorns and Sooners to leave.

If that ends up being the case, the Big 12 will have 14 members for the 2023-24 athletic year.