Cincinnati Football: Five under the radar Bearcats to keep an eye on this season

Despite losing a ton of experience and talent from last season, the Bearcats were able to reload and should have the best roster in the conference with several All-AAC preseason selections and a plethora of underrated prospects on the rise.

Looking past the most well known returning starters like defensive end Malik Vann, linebacker Deshawn Pace, right guard Lorenz Metz and tight end Josh Whyle, there are many other players that will have a significant impact on this season.

Cincinnati Football: Five under the radar Bearcats to keep an eye on this season

Senior defensive back Ja’quan Sheppard

It’s definitely going to be difficult to replace Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant but Sheppard is a highly skilled defender with an ability to cover multiple positions. Even though he hasn’t played much in the last three seasons, Sheppard is expected to step in as the boundary cornerback and has all the tools to be successful from the jump.

Redshirt junior defensive end Eric Phillips

The defensive line is arguably the deepest position on the roster as Vann is joined by Jabari Taylor and Jowon Briggs. A few others have an opportunity to crack the rotation including Rob Jackson, Dominique Perry and Noah Potter. Phillips is a 6’3, 260-pound force off the edge that adds intriguing depth and intensity to the Bearcats bench.

Junior wide receiver Tyler Scott

After scoring an 81-yard touchdown on the first drive of last season, the junior receiver is hoping to become a major part of the offense going forward. Scott racked up 520 yards and five touchdowns on 30 receptions as a sophomore. A year later, he will have a chance to develop into a consistent target alongside Tre Tucker and Nick Mardner.

Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Gavin Gerhardt

The Bearcats offensive line is absolutely loaded with five starters coming back including Jeremy Cooper, Dylan O’Quinn, Jake Renfro and James Tunstall but Gerhardt is certainly another great option off the bench. Gerhardt is a 6’4, 308-pound blocking machine that will likely take snaps at center and guard during this season.

Redshirt sophomore linebacker Jaheim Thomas

Following a relatively quiet freshman year, the former 4-star prospect started to show signs of being a quality starter last season. We’ll have to see if Thomas can carve out a role behind Wilson Huber and the Pace brothers but I think he has what it takes to grow into a dynamic player with a couple years of eligibility remaining.

Honorable mentions

Since there is so much talent on the depth chart, Luke Fickell and the staff have the freedom to try different rotations. A few others that could be in line for breakout campaigns are senior linebacker Ty Van Fossen, senior tight end Leonard Taylor, sophomore cornerback Sammy Anderson Jr, redshirt freshman running back Myles Montgomery and many more.