The Scott Satterfield era is underway at the University of Cincinnati.
The newly hired Bearcats football coach unveiled his 2023 recruiting class on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. That's when Class of 2023 high school recruits can put ink to their National Letter of Intent and formally sign to the university of their choosing.
Cincinnati football:2022 roller coaster ride of Bearcats starts climb into 2023
After former Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell left UC for Wisconsin on Nov. 27, Satterfield, upon taking over the Bearcats program on Dec. 5, had to hit the recruiting trail immediately to pick up the pieces of a shattered class and fractured program.
Satterfield – who coincidentally celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday – and Cincinnati kicked off signing day by announcing the addition of Louisville transfer linebacker Dorian Jones.
LB Dorian Jones
The 6-foot, 236-pound Plantation, Florida, native follows Satterfield from Louisville after entering his name in the transfer portal Dec. 12 and later announcing his commitment to the Bearcats on Tuesday.
Jones was a three-star prospect coming out of high school in 2019 and originally committed to Appalachian State under Satterfield before heading to Louisville after the Cardinals hired the head coach in 2018.
Jones played in 36 games over his four years at Louisville, racking up 83 total tackles (40 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Jones suffered a torn ACL in his college debut during his freshman season.
DE Brian “Mook” Simms lll
Cincinnati then announced the addition of defensive lineman Brian Simms III, a three-star 2023 recruit out of Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore.
Simms originally committed to the Bearcats in October. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound edge rusher flipped from Boston College after visiting the Bearcats during homecoming weekend.
CB Rayquan Adkins
CIncinnati dipped into South Florida for its next signee. The Bearcats added three-star 2023 cornerback Rayquan Adkins, a product of Miami Northwestern High School.
The 5-foot-10, 155-pound Adkins made official visits to both Cincinnati and Louisville over the last month but ultimately decided to join Satterfield at UC. Adkins had offers from Coastal Carolina, Georgia Tech, Miami, Pitt and others.
S Jayden Davis
Jayden Davis, a three-star 2023 safety out of Suwanee, Georgia, decommitted to Louisville and announced his commitment to Cincinnati on Dec. 11. On Wednesday, he made it official.
Davis was the second commitment of the Satterfield era at UC. The 6-foot-2, 175-pound prospect also garnered heavy interest from Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, TCU and others.
LB Trevor Carter
Trevor Carter reopened his recruitment following the departure of Fickell, but Carter never decommitted from the Bearcats.
Carter, who received offers from James Madison, Ohio and Wake Forest since Cincinnati's coaching change, originally committed to UC in November 2021. The four-star linebacker from Ironton High School in Southeast Ohio was then the highest-rated defensive commitment in program history, according to 247Sports.
"Obviously, I had some choices," Carter told The Enquirer at that point. "I went and visited some places and just no one felt quite like it was in Cincinnati. When I went there to some games and went and visited this summer, it just felt like home more than anywhere else. I could definitely see myself playing there and that being home away from home for the next four years."
OL Evan Tengesdahl
Evan Tengesdahl originally committed to the Bearcats in December 2021. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Wayne High School (Huber Heights) standout also had offers from Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
Tengesdahl is a three-star 2023 interior offensive lineman who figures to add athleticism and depth to Cincinnati's offensive front.
QB Brady Drogosh
Class of 2023 quarterback Brady Drogosh, the highest-rated recruit in Cincinnati's 2023 recruiting class, announced on Dec. 12 that he was still committed to the Bearcats despite the program's shift from Fickell to Satterfield.
On Wednesday, Drogosh delivered on his commitment and officially signed on with Cincinnati.
Drogosh, a 6-foot-5, 210-pound four-star prospect from De La Salle Collegiate High School in Warren, Michigan, was named 2022 Michigan Mr. Football after leading De La Salle to its second straight Division 2 state championship. Drogosh threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 152 yards and three scores in the title game.
Drogosh initially committed to the Bearcats in May after receiving an offer from then-Cincinnati offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli.
WR Ty Perkins
Ty Perkins, a teammate of fellow UC 2023 signee Trevor Carter, originally committed to the Bearcats in June. Perkins and Carter led Ironton to the OHSAA Division V state championship game earlier this month.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Perkins, a three-star recruit, garnered interest from other schools such as Appalachian State, Duke, Kentucky and Virginia Tech.
OL Luke Kandra
Luke Kandra, an Elder High School product, decided to follow Satterfield from Louisville back to Kandra's hometown.
Satterfield recruited Kandra to Louisville from Elder where he was an All-Ohio offensive lineman for a Panthers team that went 12-3 and finished as the Ohio Division I state runner-up in 2019.
"For me, it was easy to like him, understand him and his philosophy of football," Kandra told The Enquirer.
Kandra played special teams for the Cardinals in 2021 on field goals and started a pair of games in 2022. He started his final game against Kentucky.
"I started at right guard, but I can play both," Kandra said.
