2026 Cincinnati Bearcats football team

2026 Cincinnati Bearcats football
2026 Cincinnati Bearcats football
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Record	0–0 (0–0 Big 12)
Head coach	Scott Satterfield (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Pete Thomas (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Nic Cardwell (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Nate Woody (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Cortney Braswell (2nd season)
Home stadium	Nippert Stadium
Uniform

2026 Big 12 Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
Arizona	0	–	0	0	–	0
Arizona State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Baylor	0	–	0	0	–	0
BYU	0	–	0	0	–	0
Cincinnati	0	–	0	0	–	0
Colorado	0	–	0	0	–	0
Houston	0	–	0	0	–	0
Iowa State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Kansas	0	–	0	0	–	0
Kansas State	0	–	0	0	–	0
Oklahoma State	0	–	0	0	–	0
TCU	0	–	0	0	–	0
Texas Tech	0	–	0	0	–	0
UCF	0	–	0	0	–	0
Utah	0	–	0	0	–	0
West Virginia	0	–	0	0	–	0
Championship: December 4, 2026
As of February 17, 2026 Rankings from AP poll

The 2026 Cincinnati Bearcats football team will represent the University of Cincinnati during the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bearcats, members of the Big 12 Conference, play home games at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. 2026 is the program's fourth season under head coach Scott Satterfield.

Offseason

Coaching staff changes

Departures

Departures
Name	Position	Reason for leaving	New school	New position
Tyson Veidt	Defensive coordinator	Took position at other school^[1]	Penn State	Linebackers
Eddie Hicks	Cornerbacks	Took position at other school^[2]	Arkansas	Cornerbacks
Brad Glenn	Offensive coordinator	Not retained

Additions

Additions
Name	Position	Previous school	Previous position
Nate Woody	Defensive coordinator	Army	Defensive coordinator

Transfer portal

^[3]^[4]

Departing transfers
Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	New school

Recruiting

College recruiting information (2026)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Lance Dawson DL	Avon, Ohio	Avon High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Jun 16, 2025
Lance Dawson DL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Markell Taylor S	Dallas, Georgia	North Paulding High School	5 ft 11.5 in (1.82 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jun 24, 2025
Markell Taylor S	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jonathan Rulo DL	Belleville, Illinois	Belleville East High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	300 lb (140 kg)	Jun 23, 2025
Jonathan Rulo DL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jeremiah Gray DL	Detroit, Michigan	Detroit Central High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	250 lb (110 kg)	Apr 16, 2025
Jeremiah Gray DL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jaidon Windom S	Detroit, Michigan	Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Feb 4, 2025
Jaidon Windom S	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jalen Williams TE	Bloomington, Indiana	Bloomington High School South	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Nov 24, 2025
Jalen Williams TE	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Austin Hoane IOL	Cookeville, Tennessee	Cookeville High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Jun 9, 2025
Austin Hoane IOL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Xavier Starks S	Pinson, Alabama	Clay-Chalkville High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	Feb 14, 2025
Xavier Starks S	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Adam Kirtley LB	Cincinnati, Ohio	Taft High School	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 23, 2025
Adam Kirtley LB	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Solomon Mathis OT	Hephzibah, Georgia	Hephzibah High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Feb 9, 2025
Solomon Mathis OT	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Heij Jackson WR	New Orleans, Louisiana	McDonogh 35 Senior High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Nov 20, 2025
Heij Jackson WR	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Joshua Smith ATH	Columbus, Ohio	Columbus Africentric Early College	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Oct 29, 2025
Joshua Smith ATH	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Dadrien Waller WR	Guntersville, Alabama	Guntersville High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Mar 3, 2025
Dadrien Waller WR	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Nathan Zappitelli IOL	Painesville, Ohio	Lake Catholic High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Jun 17, 2025
Nathan Zappitelli IOL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Brooks Goodman QB	Roswell, Georgia	Blessed Trinity Catholic High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Apr 30, 2025
Brooks Goodman QB	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kameron Hurst CB	St. Louis, Missouri	Lift For Life Academy	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 19, 2025
Kameron Hurst CB	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Luke Collins IOL	Columbus, Ohio	Gahanna Lincoln High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Mar 5, 2025
Luke Collins IOL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Luke Grover OT	Lewis Center, Ohio	Olentangy Orange High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jun 17, 2025
Luke Grover OT	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jamarion McKinney CB	Greenville, South Carolina	Greenville High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 20, 2025
Jamarion McKinney CB	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Darrius Simmons DL	Cairo, Georgia	Cairo High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	306 lb (139 kg)	Jun 22, 2025
Darrius Simmons DL	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Keegan Horn EDGE	Hueytown, Alabama	Hueytown High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Aug 3, 2025
Keegan Horn EDGE	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports:
Evan Weinberg EDGE	Springboro, Ohio	Springboro High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Oct 14, 2025
Evan Weinberg EDGE	Recruit ratings: Rivals: 247Sports:
Jaxon Newton LB	Anniston, Alabama	Wellborn High School	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	Oct 25, 2025
Jaxon Newton LB	Recruit ratings: Rivals:
Kenny Baker LS	Cincinnati, Ohio	Elder High School	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	Jan 16, 2026
Kenny Baker LS	Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2026 Cincinnati Football Commitment List". Rivals. "2026 Players Commitments – Cincinnati". ESPN. "2026 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2026 Cincinnati Bearcats football team". 247Sports.

2026 NFL draft

Preseason

Big 12 media poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV
September 5	TBD	Boston College*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBD
September 12	TBD	Western Carolina*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBD
September 19	TBD	vs. Miami (OH)*	Paycor Stadium Cincinnati, OH (Victory Bell)	TBD
September 26	TBD	Kansas State	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBD
October 3	TBD	at Arizona	Casino Del Sol Stadium Tucson, AZ	TBD
October 17	TBD	at West Virginia	Milan Puskar Stadium Morgantown, WV (rivalry)	TBD
October 24	TBD	Texas Tech	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBD
October 31	TBD	Utah	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBD
November 7	TBD	at Houston	TDECU Stadium Houston, TX	TBD
November 14	TBD	at Iowa State	Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA	TBD
November 21	TBD	Colorado	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH	TBD
November 28	TBD	at BYU	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, UT	TBD
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Eastern time Source: ^[5]^[6]

Personnel

Roster and staff

Awards and honors

References

^ "Ikaika Malloe and Tyson Veidt Added to Penn State Football Coaching Staff". gopsusports.com. Penn State Football. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
^ Parkinson, Kyle (18 December 2025). "Hicks, Hobby and Johnson named to Hogs' staff". arkansasrazorbacks.com. Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
^ "2026 College Football Transfer Portal". 247sports. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
^ "2026 College Football Transfer Portal". On3. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
^ "2026 Cincinnati Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
^ "2026 Football Schedule". Cincinnati Bearcats. Retrieved January 12, 2026.

[1] "Ikaika Malloe and Tyson Veidt Added to Penn State Football Coaching Staff". gopsusports.com. Penn State Football. 6 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.

[2] Parkinson, Kyle (18 December 2025). "Hicks, Hobby and Johnson named to Hogs' staff". arkansasrazorbacks.com. Arkansas Razorbacks. Retrieved 13 January 2026.

[3] "2026 College Football Transfer Portal". 247sports. Retrieved 13 January 2026.

[4] "2026 College Football Transfer Portal". On3. Retrieved 13 January 2026.

[5] "2026 Cincinnati Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved January 12, 2026.

[6] "2026 Football Schedule". Cincinnati Bearcats. Retrieved January 12, 2026.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

Cincinnati Bearcats football
Venues	East End Park (1891–1893) League Park (1893–1898, 1900) Chester Park (1899–1900) Burnet Woods (1901–1906, 1908–1909) Norwood Inn Park (1902) League Park (III) (1904–1906, 1908–1909) Carson Field (1910–1923) Nippert Stadium (1924–1989, 1991–2013, 2015–present) Riverfront Stadium (1970, 1982–1986, 1990) Paul Brown Stadium (2010–2011, 2014, 2026)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Louisville: The Keg of Nails Miami (OH): Victory Bell Memphis UCF West Virginia Xavier
Culture & lore	University of Cincinnati Bearcat Bands
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026