Cincinnati native and Bearcats veteran defensive end Malik Vann recently revealed he will return for his sixth year after suffering a season-ending pectoral injury in September.
During a blowout win over Kennesaw State in the Bearcats home opener, Vann went down with a pectoral injury and was forced to miss the remainder of his senior season due to surgery.
After committing to Cincinnati nearly six years ago, Vann became a part of the defensive line rotation as a sophomore in 2019 and later developed into a significant contributor.
Vann has recorded 90 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss and eight sacks in 47 appearances during his five-year career, helping the Bearcats secure back to back conference championships.
#Bearcats veteran defensive end and Cincinnati native Malik Vann announces he’ll return for a sixth year after having last season cut short due to injury! 🔴⚫️🐾 pic.twitter.com/NKvIoqQuuY
— Cincy on the Prowl (@CincyOnTheProwl) January 10, 2023
Cincinnati Football: Bearcats defensive end Malik Vann reveals return for sixth year
Despite losing a lot of production from the defense last season, the Bearcats are set to bring back All-AAC defensive tackles Jowon Briggs and Dontay Corleone, plus Vann and several others.
There has been plenty of roster turnover since first-year head coach Scott Satterfield was hired last month but the defensive line shouldn’t be a concern with Briggs and Vann set to return.
Even though Jabari Taylor declared for the draft, Cincinnati should be able to replace most of his production with Vann back in the mix alongside former Utah State edge rusher Daniel Grzesiak.
Grzesiak was one of the most sought after edge rushers in the transfer portal and is a key addition for the defensive line after totaling 52 tackles and 8.5 sacks in his lone season with the Aggies.
Utah State edge rusher Daniel Grzesiak committed to the #Bearcats on Saturday after a recent visit! Grzesiak had 52 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 13 games last season. 🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/crEqpsi7T0
— Cincy on the Prowl (@CincyOnTheProwl) January 8, 2023
Cincinnati Football: Utah State defensive end Daniel Grzesiak transfers to Bearcats
Utah State defensive end transfer Daniel Grzesiak committed to the Bearcats last week! The Los Angeles native began his career at Nevada and will have one year of eligibility remaining.
Following a visit to Clifton this week, the former Utah State defensive end picked Cincinnati over scholarship offers from Houston, Kansas, Indiana, Missouri, West Virginia and others.
In addition to Grzesiak, the Bearcats received recent transfer commitments from former Louisville wide receiver Dee Wiggins and Southeast Missouri State offensive tackle Phillip Wilder.
Despite missing out on a couple targets, the Bearcats added 13 transfers since Satterfield was hired last month and hope to add more soon after hosting multiple recruits last week.