The University of Cincinnati Bearcats spent the second day of their training camp at Nippert Stadium once again. They’ll return there Saturday, Aug. 8, for their “Pancake With Us” promotion featuring free pancakes from their celebrated offensive line at 9 a.m. and an open practice at 10 a.m.
Preseason All-American Evan Tengesdahl and preseason All-Big 12 selections Joe Cotton and Taran Tyo are featured as UC’s flapjack fixtures, and they were the focus of the Thursday, Aug. 6, gathering, which attracted numerous professional evaluators.
5 takeaways from Day 2 of Cincinnati Bearcats training camp on Aug. 6
1. 10 NFL scouts came to Nippert to view Cincinnati Bearcats offensive linemen
The offensive linemen tend to gather near the endzone by the videoboard at Nippert, and that’s where 10 young men wearing NFL logos were gathered, notepads in hand.
Represented were the hometown Cincinnati Bengals along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans and Denver Broncos.
Senior guard Tengesdahl was named a Sporting News First Team All-American Aug. 6, adding to his laundry list of accolades, which include the Outland Trophy Watch List and Preseason All-America selections by Walter Camp, Phil Steele, On3 and Athlon Sports in addition to the preseason All-Big 12 list.
Left tackle Cotton and center Tyo are also potential NFL draft picks, with all three hoping to accomplish what center Gavin Gerhardt did this April, becoming an NFL draft pick (seventh round, Minnesota).
Saturday, Aug. 8, UC fans can meet the “Pancake Trio” and others at the 9 a.m. breakfast on Sheakley Lawn or after the scrimmage in an on-field autograph session.
“We feel really confident in what we have in that starting five,” Tengesdahl said. “We feel good about what we’re doing.”
Xavier Lozowicki at right guard and Judea Milon at right tackle are expected to join Tengesdahl, Tyo and Cotton as starters, but multiple linemen will play.
2. UC Bearcats’ new defense swarms to ball
New defensive coordinator Nate Woody has been charged with creating more turnovers, so you can bank on more blitzes and an emphasis on causing turnovers. Woody and staff encourage players to knock the football loose. If they don’t, they are told to swarm to the ball. If they don’t do that, UC head coach Scott Satterfield says they won’t play.
“There’s hardly ever any time when there’s just three rushers,” Woody said. “There’s going to be four or five coming about every time. They’re chasing the football and they’re learning how to do it better and better each day. They’re going after the ball and they’re having fun doing it.”
3. Setback in secondary for UC Bearcats defense
Junior safety Ty Goodwill, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound transfer from South Alabama, went down in practice and had to be driven off the field as a precaution. It appeared to be a lower leg injury. Goodwill was to be evaluated with Satterfield answering questions about him on Saturday, Aug. 8, at the open practice.
4. UC Bearcats receivers finish plays on Day 2
Fifth-year player JV Gibson has been a favorite for JC French IV going back to spring, and sophomore Giyahni Kontosis has been noted for his physicality in workouts. A dangerous slot to watch is Kent State transfer Cade Wolford, who finds open spots frequently and has wheels. Central Arkansas transfer Malachi Henry also had some notable grabs, and the practice ended when freshman quarterback Brooks Goodman hit fellow 6-foot-5 freshman receiver Jalen Williams for a score.
“We’re very deep in that receiver room,” French said. “I’m excited to see what they do in camp and the rest of the season.”
5. Nothing like ‘The Nipp’ for Cincinnati Bearcats
UC opens its season at Nippert in less than a month on Sept. 6. The Bearcats have been in the historic stadium for back-to-back practices, even though some areas of Cincinnati saw rain the morning of Aug. 6. The upside of a rainy day now is the players can literally step out of the locker room to the field at the Sheakley Indoor Practice Facility and Athletics Performance Center and UC would not lose a practice day.
In the past, a storm would lose a day of practice, whether UC was on campus or at Higher Ground. The bigger issues with late summer, early fall storms is lightning, which wouldn’t hit indoors, allowing the Bearcats to get a full day’s work.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC Bearcats training camp attracts 10 NFL scouts watching O-line
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
