Coombs' roster of available players for the Fenway Bowl is also scattered. While 2022 first-team All-American Athletic Conference tight end Josh Whyle has opted out of the Fenway Bowl to focus on preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft, nine of Whyle's Cincinnati teammates have entered the transfer portal, including 2022 first-team All-American Athletic Conference cornerback Ja'Quan Sheppard. Coombs said he's proud of the players who have stayed engaged and are committed to the bowl game and beyond.
“First of all, the right kind of kids have been recruited here," he said. "We found good kids from good homes. We found kids from good high school programs. We found kids who care about their teammates, and I give them a lot of credit for that. We have great leadership. These senior kids, they want to go out on top. They have a lot of pride and they're showing it. Things happen in life. Sunday (the day Fickell announced he was leaving), we were as low as you can be. We were at the bottom. By Thursday, we started to come out. But by the time we hit the field, we were here.
"... We get to live a different life than almost anybody in the world. Our life has these ups and downs, right? ... You have to sometimes have some of those (downs or lows) to appreciate the highs. They have come out of it. They're working their way up there so that hopefully by Dec. 17, we find ourselves on top of the mountain."
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