New University of Cincinnati football coach Scott Satterfield met with his new team on Monday. The former Louisville and Appalachian State head coach shared with the players exactly what he’s looking for in his and their new coaching staff.
“I know they were apprehensive about all right, who’s our coach going to be,” Satterfield said. “But for me to go in there and see their faces, man, they’re eager, they’re hungry and excited. The one thing I told them that we’re going to do is surround them with some coaches and men that are going to help mentor them, that are going to pour into them, that are going to love them, that are going to hold them accountable every day.”
'I'm honored':Cincinnati Bearcats introduce Scott Satterfield as next head football coach
Satterfield said he’s going to spend the days leading up to the Bearcats’ appearance in the inaugural Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17 against Satterfield’s old team, Louisville, staying away from bowl game preparations and building his coaching and support staffs. He said he’s also going to focus on recruiting ahead of the start of the early signing period Dec. 21.
While it remains unclear who all will be on Satterfield’s staff, it’s clear who won’t.
Sources confirmed to The Enquirer on Tuesday that Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, Cincinnati co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Colin Hitschler and Bearcats wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Mike Brown will all switch sidelines and join former UC coach Luke Fickell at Wisconsin.
Satterfield said Monday he wants a staff that has local ties and relationships. Satterfield is expected to retain Kerry Coombs in some capacity. The Bearcats’ cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator has served as interim head coach since Fickell left for Wisconsin on Nov. 27.
It remains to be seen where Cincinnati offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli will be next season. Guidugli, a former quarterback for the Bearcats and member of the UC Athletics Hall of Fame, garnered the support of several current and former Cincinnati players to be the program’s next head coach during Cincinnati Director of Athletics John Cunningham’s national search that resulted in Satterfield taking the helm.
Satterfield said Monday he intends to sit down with current members of the Cincinnati staff and discuss their futures with the program. He also said he anticipates bringing members of his staff from Louisville to Cincinnati. With the departure of Tressel to Wisconsin, it's fair to believe Louisville associate head coach and defensive coordinator Bryan Brown is on his way to Cincinnati.
Pat Lambert, Cincinnati's director of recruiting, is also expected to join Fickell at Wisconsin.
“More than anything for me, it’s all about our student-athletes, and how we can help mentor them,” Satterfield said. “I told (the Cincinnati players) also my job is to not only go win football games and help them become even greater than they thought they would, but it’s also to help them to see what kind of fathers they’re going to be, what kind of husbands they’re going to be, what kind of community leaders they’re going to be. That’s what we’re all about – the whole person, not just the football player.
“So that’s our mission as coaches. I just want to surround them with a staff that’s going to do that. … We want to surround them with the best coaching staff in the country, and we have to do that.”
Satterfield agreed to a six-year deal with Cincinnati that will pay him $3.4 million in the first year with an annual raise of $100,000, according to the university. Satterfield will receive an assistant coach staff salary pool of $7.25 million, making the total compensation $10.65 million per year for the football coaching staff. Cincinnati described it as its "highest investment ever" in the football staff.
The Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17 is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. on ESPN.
Josh Wyle opts out of Fenway Bowl, declares for 2023 NFL Draft
One of the Cincinnati players who won’t be available for the Fenway Bowl is senior tight end Josh Whyle. The 2022 first-team All-American Athletic Conference selection announced Tuesday he is opting out of the bowl game to focus on preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft.
“What I’ll miss most about Cincinnati is the locker room,” Whyle wrote to his Bearcats coaches and teammates in a Twitter post. “None of our goals and dreams would’ve been possible if it wasn’t for the tight-knit bond we created. Thank you for always believing in me, trusting me, and pushing me to be the best version of myself.”
Whyle also thanked his family, or the “Whyle Crew,” and the Cincinnati fans, who Whyle said “made everything worth it.”
“With that said, this chapter of my life has come to an end, and another is beginning,” Whyle wrote. “… I am excited for what’s to come.”
Whyle became a three-time all-conference honoree last month, earning a 2022 first-team nod to go along with his honorable mention in 2021 and second-team honors in 2020. Whyle finished with 32 receptions for 326 yards and three touchdowns this season. Whyle ends his Cincinnati career with 15 scores, the most career touchdowns by a tight end in program history.
ESPN NFL draft insider Mel Kiper Jr. rates Whyle not as a tight end, but as his second-best H-back/fullback. Kiper's ESPN colleague, Matt Miller, also places Whyle second at the same position.
WR Jadon Thompson, others enter transfer portal
The list of recruits who have either decommitted from Cincinnati or Bearcats players who have entered the transfer portal since Fickell's exit continue to grow.
Junior wide receiver Jadon Thompson on Tuesday became the latest Cincinnati player to enter the portal. Thompson announced on Twitter that he has entered his name into the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
Thompson ranked fourth on the team this season in receptions (27), third in receiving yards (393) and had a receiving touchdown. Thompson also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score in a win Nov. 11 against East Carolina.
Cincinnati cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard, a 2022 first-team All-AAC selection, kicker Ryan Coe, who earned a second-team all-conference nod this season, center Jake Renfro, wide receiver JoJo Bermudez and cornerback JQ Hardaway have also entered the portal.
'I'm not leaving':UC football players use 'Wolf of Wall Street' clip to pledge commitment
Renfro, who earned a first-team All-AAC selection last season as a sophomore, suffered a season-ending knee injury prior to the 2022 opener at Arkansas.
Sheppard, who ranked second in the AAC this season in pass breakups (10) and had 50 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss, said he has already received offers from Appalachian State, Arkansas, California, Central Florida, Georgia Southern, Maryland, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and West Virginia.
