Cincinnati Bearcats add two more players to the roster as an injunction is given for select fifth-year seniors

The Cincinnati Bearcats will be adding at least one more of Jerrod Calhoun's players from the 2025-26 Utah Roster that made the Round of 32, losing to Arizona in the NCAA Tournament. MJ Collins and Kolby King were granted a preliminary injunction to become eligible for the upcoming season after the NCAA passed the five-in-five rule back in June. Collins has previously said that he will be playing for the Bearcats if he is granted a final year of eligibility. King has not officially said anything, though it is likely for him to end up as a Bearcat.

MJ Collins

MJ Collins is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior guard from Clover, South Carolina, who averaged an impressive 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game last season for the Aggies. Collins spent two seasons at Virginia Tech and one season at Vanderbilt before transferring to Logan, Utah, and coach Calhoun. Collins' efficiency shooting the ball exploded in his one season under Calhoun, improving 6.8% from the field, 6.8% from the three-point line (on over double the amount of shots), and staying the same from the free-throw line on a lot more shots.

Collins' best game of the season came against the Villanova Wildcats in the Round of 64. The Aggies came into the game favored by 1.5 and played like it. Collins shot 7-12 from the field, scoring 20 points and grabbing 4 rebounds to go along with it.

Adding Collins to the team brings up questions of who is going to start in this guard-heavy roster? Between Collins, Tylen Riley, Akai Fleming, Trevian Carson, Myles Colvin, and Elijah Perryman, who is going to play? It is safe to assume that Riley is starting at point guard while Collins takes the spot at shooting guard. Colvin could play some forward, and Tyler Tejada and Jayden Hastings round out the starting 5. Off the bench, expect Fleming and Carson to be write-in contributors for the Bearcats; the only player under some serious minute issues could be Perryman.

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