Cincinnati Bearcats Making A Living Off Of Transfers

The Cincinnati Bearcats are 3-3 after a rejuvenating drubbing of the SMU Mustangs on Saturday. With half the season lost to history, that record might appear disappointing. And it is. Coming into the 2014 season I couldn’t envision UC losing three of their first six games to open the year and certainly not get blasted in each and every one.

But hopefully the ‘Cats are back on track after going into Dallas an emerging with a decisive victory over a reeling AAC foe.

Taking stock of the current status of this team, as you look up and down the roster, it’s a little surprising just how much Cincinnati has gotten out of players who transferred into the program. College football teams are built in a number of ways, generally by harvesting the high school ranks for four and five-year prospects. Others, like Kansas State, focus heavily on the JUCO’s. This past season it appears the Bearcats are getting the biggest bang for their buck by going the path of the latter.

Let’s start with the headliner, Notre Dame transfer Gunner Kiel. UC’s quarterback has so far lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he was a five-star recruit three years ago. He boasts an impressive 59% completion percentage and a 3-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Kiel’s live arm has guided Cincinnati to each of their wins this year and I quite honestly don’t know where this team would be without him at the helm.

One of his favorite targets has been Mekale McKay, a transfer from Arkansas. The 6’6″ tower on the outside got off to a white hot start, catching nine passes to open the year for 175 yards and a touchdown against the Toledo Rockets. He’s cooled off of late but has the capabilities of several more 100+ yard games and perhaps be the first receiver since Armon Binns in 2010 to surpass the 1,000-yard mark.

Also on the outside, Cincinnati has gotten solid contributions from Johnny Holton (College of DuPage) and Casey Gladney (Copiah-Lincoln CC). They’ve been the Bearcats’ kickoff return battery this season with the former a few flags away from taking one to the house last Saturday. Overall, the duo has provided a nice spark in this role and made the receiver corps faster as a whole. Holton is even fifth on the team in reception yards and second in receiving touchdowns with Gladney leading the team in yards per catch.

The backfield has been spearheaded by a pair of Junior College transfers Rodriguez Moore (East Mississippi CC) and Hosey Williams (ASA College). These seniors are currently 1-2 in rushing yards this season. Williams was Cincinnati’s #1 running back up until his injury during the Memphis game that sidelined him for the season but Moore ensured the Bearcats didn’t miss a step, rushing for 139 yards and two scores in the two and a half games.

Flipping over to the defensive side of the ball, Terrell Hartsfield from Copiah-Lincoln CC has been a pleasant surprise. Most figured his linemate Silverberry Mouhon would steal the show this season but the 6’4″ 246 lbs defensive end’s five sacks and tackles for loss currently lead the team.

Then there’s Jeff Luc, the transfer from Florida State. As a junior last season he was placed at outside linebacker with Greg Blair clogging up the middle. He looked like a 256 lbs fish out of water and rightfully so. But with Blair gone to graduation and Luc sliding inside to his more natural Mike linebacker role, he’s thrived. On the season, #1 is living up to his number, pacing the team with 75 tackles and is fourth in the country averaging 12.5 per game. He’s on pace to shatter Blair’s 106 tackles last season.

Overall, that comes to eight solid contributors, effectively 25% of gameday starters, who transferred into the program via the JUCO circuit or another school. That’s simply remarkable.

Tommy Tuberville has emphasized his philosophy on building programs with four and five-year players. On the surface that makes perfect sense and long term this should yield consistently successful Bearcat football teams. But due to attrition in recent years, he’s had to load up on JUCOs and transfers in the last two recruiting cycles. So it’s encouraging to see that so many have panned out. It’s one thing to load up on these types of players but it’s quite another to maximize their potential unlike the Louisville Cardinals in 2008 and 2009. The Cincinnati Bearcats, though, are doing just that in several critical positions on the field.

I’d hate to think where this team would be without guys like Kiel, Luc, and Hartsfield filling the ranks.