CLIFTON — While Friday marked a pivotal day for the University of Cincinnati men's basketball team when Director of Athletics John Cunningham announced that the school will be reviewing allegations made against the program, Saturday showed that the grass is greener just a stone's throw away at Nippert Stadium.
Back on the turf with a faded UC logo, head football coach Luke Fickell, sporting khaki shorts and a short-sleeved hoodie, gallops through the Bearcats spring practice, whistling in instructions as his club begins its defense of a conference championship and top-10 national ranking.
More:University of Cincinnati will 'review' allegations made against men's basketball program
Joking about no longer fielding Zoom calls, Fickell is just happy there's some sense of normalcy at practice.
"We're feeling like things are starting to move themselves back that way, our guys feel that — it's exciting," the fifth-year coach said. "They like socialization just as much as the rest of us and to be out here and just to see people, it really makes them feel a little better. It's been a long year."
Fickell is grateful too he had a group of experienced leaders in 2020 that helped the team manage an abbreviated season that resulted in a 9-1 record, an AAC title and a Peach Bowl berth.
Paul Daugherty: The silence is deafening regarding UC's basketball program
"If you had a group that was young last year with all of the things we had to go through, it was gonna be really difficult," Fickell said. "We were very fortunate to have some guys back that have been here for awhile. Those kinds of guys are always valuable, but in a year like last year, you can't put a price on what they did for us."
While a bevy of returning veterans helped make 2020 so special for the Bearcats, it's the same formula for this fall that should yield similar results. UC will return multiple starters this season, including on a defense that was top-10 in scoring.
'Everything literally came full circle for me':Walnut Hills grad Briggs returns home to UC
New defensive coordinator Mike Tressel inherits a unit with play-makers in the backfield in junior Ahmad Gardner and first-team All-AAC selection Coby Bryant, who returned for his final year of eligibility.
"I had to think about it a lot. I prayed over it, I talked to my family and it was a decision I made that I thought was best for me," Bryant said of coming back. "It was important to me because I wanted to be a better leader, most importantly. I felt like after the Georgia game we had unfinished business."
Tressel's new group will be the strongest in the trenches. UC's defensive line depth should cause nightmares up front for opposing offenses.
Senior defensive end Myjai Sanders had 10.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks a season ago. His presence is felt at practice through his radiant energy.
More:Luke Fickell's focus for spring is to figure out 'how do we go to the next level'
"We talk about leadership makes everybody better; he (Sanders) makes the coaches better," Fickell said. "You can't help but be excited about what it is you're doing because you got guys that have a motor and energy like that. It's really contagious, but it's not just contagious to all the players, it's contagious for the coaches and myself."
Fellow returners include Malik Vann, Curtis Brooks, Marcus Brown and Jabari Taylor, a quartet that combined for 73 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 2020. The interior was also bolstered by the addition of Walnut Hills product Jowon Briggs, a 6-foot-1, 310-pound Virginia transfer.
"Yeah, it is tough going against one of the top defenses in the country,:" UC senior quarterback Desmond Ridder said about practices. "It makes everyone better — makes the O-line better, makes the backs better, tight ends better. Iron sharpens iron, is what we say around here; the best going against the best, that's how we want it."
UC Bearcats football recruiting: All-Ohio offensive lineman Ethan Green commits to Luke Fickell, Cincinnati Bearcats
Irons will be sharpened when it comes to who will protect Ridder this season. There are three spots open up front with sophomore Jake Renfro at center and senior Vincent McConnell at right guard. Junior Dylan O'Quinn is sliding out to right tackle and there's a competition between junior James Tunstall and sophomore John Williams to see who will shield Ridder's blindside.
Receiver Jayshon Jackson entered the transfer portal, but Ridder likes his pass-catching options with wideouts Tyler Scott and Michael Young Jr., who is moving inside.
"Getting him (Scott) the ball as quick as we can and just letting him go run and do what he does, that's what we're gonna work on this year," Ridder said. "Mike, he played outside last year now coming inside, he's got a couple things to adjust to. That's gonna be a huge problem with matchups for other team's defenses."
Late-March is when Fickell eyes development at each position. This time around, though, UC has a clear target on its back compared to recent seasons. Fickell doesn't want to hear about early college football polls, he just wants to remind his team to keep setting the bar high as expectations continue to increase.
2021 NFL Draft: Cincinnati safety Darrick Forrest ready for next level
"With the 'High tides rise all ships,' the first people I wanted to feel it was myself and the coaching staff," Fickell said of an earlier message. "If the coaches feel it and I feel it, by nature it will trickle down to the others. That's what happens with guys like Desmond Ridder and Coby, they'll come back because they want more. That's the pressure that I think puts them in the right places.
"I hope I don't have to worry about the polls, but I know it's a team that feels different. It's a team that, like we talked about with the expectations, that understands it's not just about winning the game, it's about doing the things you gotta do to get yourself to those games."
Those prove-it games are there for UC at the front of the schedule, with road affairs against Indiana and Notre Dame before kicking off AAC play against Temple Oct. 8.
"It's March now, so it's a long way away, but those days will come quick," Ridder said. "This year we know we're gonna get everyone's best, every single game; it doesn't matter who we play and we're excited for that challenge."
Source link
