A Look At Cincinnati’s Recruiting Needs A Month Before National Signing Day
By Chris Bains
Nov 22, 2014; East Hartford, CT, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Tommy Tuberville talks to his team during a break in the action against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half at Rentschler Field. Cincinnati defeated UConn 41-0. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
We’re about a month away from the 2015 National Signing Day, one of my personal Christmases. There’s no better time than now to review exactly what Cincinnati’s needs are in this recruiting cycle. Tommy Tuberville and company have done a nice job compiling a well-balanced class and filling immediate holes on the team via the Junior College circuit.
However, recruiting is also about filling long term needs. The football factories in Tuscaloosa and Eugene churn out boatloads of wins year after year despite annual departures from key seniors because they have well-trained backups ready to go. These are players who have spend several years in the same system, are simply plugged in when their turn is up, and let loose by the coaches. In general, the best programs in the country don’t experience a major drop off at most positions because of that depth and stability.
That’s the goal for Tuberville at Cincinnati.
He’s claimed that UC is where he’ll retire and if he holds true to that claim, the head coach’s 5-year plan that began in 2013 is to build that depth. The Bearcats are good-to-great in most areas any given year but can display major weaknesses after graduating key seniors the year prior, such as the secondary in 2014 or defensive tackle pretty much every season since 2011.
So click through to see the main positions that require the most depth by way of the recruits in the 2015 recruiting class.