Cincinnati Bearcats nose tackle Dontay Corleone will not play vs. Kansas after being declared out on the Big 12 game day injury report.
The 6-foot-1, 335-pound redshirt senior from Colerain High School has been out with an ankle injury suffered halfway through the Bowling Green game Sept. 6. He missed the rest of that UC victory as well as their shutout of Northwestern State Sept. 13 at Nippert Stadium.
Corleone had been healthy through winter, spring and summer workouts after returning to the Bearcats for another season. He announced his return in early December 2024. Corleone wasn’t cleared to play the 2024 season until the second game of the year after being diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs in June 2024. That curtailed his training camp, so this past summer brought optimism when he remained healthy to make every workout.
Redshirt senior Isaiah Rogers, a Monmouth transfer, and redshirt sophomore Kamari Burns are likely replacements, though the Bearcats have played up to nine defensive linemen this season.
Corleone was All-Big 12 First Team in 2024, Second Team in 2023 and an AP Third Team All-American his sophomore season when he was named the highest-rated defensive player by Pro Football Focus in 2022.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats nose tackle Dontay Corleone out vs. Kansas
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
