Cincinnati Football: Transfer portal round up as the Bearcats add 15 players

During the initial transfer portal window, the Bearcats picked up 15 players including Arizona State quarterback Emory Jones, Washington State wide receiver Donovan Ollie and others!

The double digit haul was highlighted by former Florida defensive back Jordan Young, Florida State slot receiver Keyshawn Helton and Utah State defensive end Daniel Grzesiak.

In addition to Jones, the Bearcats added two other Arizona State transfers in sophomore place kicker Carter Brown, plus senior defensive back and kick return specialist DJ Taylor.

After hiring Scott Satterfield, three players transferred from Louisville to Cincinnati including offensive guard Luke Kandra, linebacker Dorian Jones and wide receiver Dee Wiggins.

Cincinnati Football: Transfer portal round up as the Bearcats add 15 players

Other transfers that are set to join the Bearcats are North Carolina A&T wide receiver Sterling Berkhalter, Temple place kicker Rory Bell and Western Kentucky tight end Joey Beljan.

Cincinnati also added three offensive line transfers including Kandra, plus Penn interior offensive lineman Trevor Radosevich and Southeast Missouri State offensive tackle Phillip Wilder.

The winter transfer portal window closed on Wednesday so there shouldn’t be much movement in the coming months until the spring window arrives, which is scheduled to open from May 1-15.

Stay tuned moving forward as the Bearcats new-look coaching staff continues to construct the roster and check below for a more in-depth break down of each transfer portal addition!

Cincinnati Football: Breaking down the Bearcats recent transfer portal additions

After four seasons at Florida, Jones moved to Arizona State last season and started the first seven games before going down with an injury and eventually entering the transfer portal.

Ollie was third on Washington State with 491 receiving yards, 43 catches and three touchdowns last year including a difficult grab in the end zone during a blowout win over Stanford.

Helton totaled 61 catches for 819 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in four years at Florida State but only appeared in two games last season before entering the portal in December.

Young is expected to have three years of eligibility left after playing in 10 games for the Gators last season and totaling 11 tackles and one pass break up during his time in Gainesville.

Cincinnati Football: Bearcats receive commitments from a trio of Arizona State transfers

During his career at Arizona State, Taylor totaled 1,232 return yards and one touchdown on 66 attempts, highlighted by a 100-yard kick off return touchdown against Arizona in 2020.

Brown started his freshman campaign at Arizona State with a perfect debut against Northern Arizona, going 4/4 on extra points and 4/4 on field goal attempts in a 40-3 win.

Grzesiak was one of the most sought after edge rushers in the portal and is a key addition for the defensive line after totaling 52 tackles and 8.5 sacks in his only season at Utah State.

Wiggins racked up 791 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 62 catches during his time at Miami including a 40-yard touchdown in a 52-10 win over rival Florida State in 2020.

Cincinnati Football: Other transfers that are expected to join the Bearcats next season

Beljan totaled 191 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 15 catches last season, highlighted by a 27-yard touchdown reception in a 44-23 win over South Alabama in the New Orleans Bowl.

During his junior campaign, Berkhalter compiled 414 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 28 catches, highlighted by a 35-yard score in a 38-14 win over Robert Morris last year.

Coming out of high school, Wilder was a 3-star prospect per 247 Sports with offers from Florida, Miami, Oregon, Texas and others before spending three years at Southeast Missouri State.

The Bearcats brand new coaching staff was able to pick up commitments from 15 players during the first window but there was significant loss as well with 17 outgoing transfers.