Cincinnati Bearcats Football

National signing day is now upon us, and Cincinnati will spend the day waiting and watching the fax machine do work.

Head coach Butch Jones and his staff will sit back and wait to make sure the verbal commitments turn into signatures.

This is the one day out of the year where fax machines really get their just due.

The Bearcats are looking to receive signatures from their big-name recruits early on. There have already been four verbal commitments who have faxed in their letters today. Among those is local product Ryan Leahy, who is rated the No. 41 strongside defensive end and a 3-star recruit according to Rivals.com.

Other signatures the Bearcats have already received this morning are from 3-star prospects Drake Bruns and Zach Edwards. Both are defensive backs who are also local products from the Cincinnati area.

Offensive lineman Kyle Williamson is another local product and a 3-star recruit who has faxed his letter of intent over.

That gives Cincinnati four signatures on the day and it is waiting for up to 26 more, which would give it a class of 30 recruits.

Among the biggest names on the list are running back Dennis Norfleet (4-star recruit) out of Detroit and quarterback Bennie Coney (3-star recruit) from Plant City, Fla.

Wide receiver Nathan Cole (3-star recruit) out of Memphis, Tenn. is also near the top of the Bearcats' list.

While the ultimate goal for Cincinnati is getting a great class to build the program into the future, a top 25 group would be something to be proud of for a program that is certainly headed in the right direction. 

Stay tuned as signing day continues to find out if Butch Jones and Cincinnati can make that come true.

National Signing Day is a holiday to many recruiting gurus, universities and future college stars.

For the University of Cincinnati, this so-called holiday has not been much of a celebration. The Bearcats have never had a class that ranks in the top 25, but this may just be the year that happens.

The man headlining the class is running back Dennis Norfleet out of Detroit, Michigan. Norfleet has a chance to earn immediate playing time and is a top 20 running back according to Scout.com. He is also highly rated on all other major recruiting websites.

The class is currently ranked No. 21 according to Scout.com and has picked up some highly-rated players in the past few weeks that have helped jump the class into the top 25.

Just a few weeks ago, the Bearcats received a verbal commitment from offensive lineman Caleb Stacey. Stacey is one of the top players in the state of Ohio and had originally committed to Michigan before deciding to become a Bearcat.

Cincinnati has also received a commitment in the last month from another local product in E.J. Junior. Junior is currently a running back, but may translate best into a fullback at the next level.

While Cincinnati does not do too much with their fullbacks, he could be used in a number of different ways.

Either way, he is highly regarded and is one of a few players who will see immediate playing time next season. He is rated a top 10 fullback according to Scout.com.

The Bearcats have also received verbal commitments in the past few days from junior college running back Aaron Harris and wide receiver Zach Edwards. 

Head coach Butch Jones will try to pull in a few more recruits at the last minute to help keep Cincinnati in the mix to have a top 25 class.

If he can do that, Cincinnati will not only have the best recruiting class in the Big East, but the best they have had in school history.

The Cincinnati Bearcats and particularly head coach Butch Jones received great news today when they cracked the Top 25 of both the AP and the USA Today final polls.

Jones will receive a bonus for his team finishing in the Top 25 as the Bearcats came in at No. 21 in the USA Today poll and No. 25 in the AP Poll.

More importantly, the success of a 10-3 season and a share of the Big East title did not go unrecognized by the coaches and writers.

This was the third time in the past four seasons that Cincinnati finished ranked in the final polls and the fourth time in the past five seasons they have won 10 games, a feat only four other teams in college football have accomplished.

For Cincinnati, it is all about building a program and getting some stability at the head coaching position. Butch Jones brings just that.

While the excellent senior class is the main reason for the success over the past five years, it is looking more likely that Jones will be around for years to come which means that the Bearcats could find themselves in the Top 25 on a yearly basis.

Even with that talented senior class now departed, the youth and depth of each class will show next season when Cincinnati once again rises into the Top 25, even if they do not begin the season there.

Cincinnati also has an extremely talented recruiting class coming in. They are building a program, but not just any program, a Top 25 program.

As long as Butch Jones is in Clifton, that is where they are likely to stay.

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