The Cincinnati Bearcats will enter their fourth Big 12 football season with one running back who has played under Scott Satterfield.
Redshirt freshman Zion Johnson turned heads in preseason camp and saw action late in the year and in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. The rest of the contenders all gained yards at other schools.
Welcome to college athletics 2026, where the names on the uniforms change with great frequency.
With that said, the Bearcats would like to improve their team rushing numbers. In 2023, they averaged 217.1 yards per game with Corey Kiner, Myles Montgomery, Ryan Montgomery and quarterback Emory Jones Jr.
In 2024, Kiner, Brendan Sorsby and Evan Pryor and others averaged 184.1 yards per game and last season saw Sorsby, Tawee Walker, Pryor and Manny Covey average 176.1 yards per game.
Win-wise, UC has advanced in those seasons from three to five to seven wins. Either way, a Satterfield offense features multiple runners and third-year running backs coach Sean Dawkins thinks he’s got the personnel to make a difference.
“I think one through four, we’re probably better than we’ve ever been since I’ve been here,” Dawkins said.
How many running backs will UC Bearcats play?
Dawkins says UC will always rely on two as they have in recent years, but the third guy had better be ready.
“If there’s a Corey Kiner/Evan Pryor situation or a Tawee (Walker)/Evan Pryor situation, we’re definitely going to always play two,” he said. “You’ve got to because of the physicality of the position. Those guys understand that. There’s a lot of competition in that room.”
All of the four candidates have scored NCAA touchdowns and could find the end zone multiple times in 2026.
UC Bearcats Zion Johnson, football redshirt freshman
After a cameo in the Northwestern State blowout, Johnson was pressed into duty against Utah and Arizona in November due to Pryor being injured. With Pryor off in the portal to Florida, he also got reps in the Liberty Bowl Jan. 2.
Johnson had 42 yards and a touchdown in the Arizona loss and finished the season with 106 yards on 22 carries in addition to a pair of receptions for 21 yards.
At 5-foot-8 and 185 pounds, Johnson is quick but is also the smallest of the contenders. Dawkins is trying to focus Johnson on preparing himself for the physical nature of the Big 12.
“It’s not so much running the ball, it’s the pass pro (protection),” Dawkins said. “That’s where he has to be really good from a technician standpoint, being able to see it, identify it and position himself to make those blocks.”
Zylan Perry, UC Bearcats football senior
Perry plowed for close to a combined 1,400 yards the last two seasons for the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns with 12 total touchdowns and 27 total pass receptions. Perry is 5-foot-11 and 207 pounds and combines speed and power. He has not yet had a college fumble.
His best outing of 2025 was a 110-yard game against Eastern Michigan with a pair of touchdowns. Perry was slowed early in spring, but has been back recently making plays.
“We want to make sure we have guys that can last,” Dawkins said. “You’ve got to be built to last. It’s Power Four football, there’s a lot of big people, D-linemen, linebackers, DBs, they’re all big. I’m making sure we’ve got guys that can finish the season. Doesn’t matter how talented some of those guys are if they can’t stay healthy. Trying to get more guys that are durable and built to last has kind of been my focus.”
Said Perry, “You give me the ball, I can score, get positive yards, catch it out of the backfield. I can do a whole bunch of stuff. In the open field, I can make defenders miss. That’s my specialty.”
Gi’Bran Payne, UC Bearcats football senior
Payne is known locally for his time at La Salle High School and another local legend, UC and Roger Bacon’s Corey Kiner, convinced him to finish his career as a Bearcat.
Payne has a degree from Notre Dame and played part of three seasons with the Fighting Irish, missing 2024 due to injury. His best season was 2023, when he ran for 168 yards with two touchdowns and had nine receptions for 58 yards and another two scores.
At 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, Payne is another speed and power guy. He ran for touchdowns in 2023 against Ohio State and Stanford and will likely see more opportunities here.
“He is a football player,” Dawkins said. “He does a great job. He understands the game both offensively and defensively. It shows on the field. He’s got a ton of experience. I’m glad he chose to be here.”
Cole Tabb, UC Bearcats football redshirt sophomore
Tabb is a former Choctawatchee High School teammate of UC receiver Isaiah Johnson from their Fort Walton Beach, Florida days. Tabb is 5-foot-8 and 200 pounds and played his first two seasons in California with Stanford.
He had 445 yards and three touchdowns for the Cardinal last season, which included a 118-yard game against Florida State.
Tabb was sidelined late in camp, with the plan to get him back later in the week or maybe by the spring scrimmage.
“Coming from Stanford, he was their No. 2,” Dawkins said. “In the beginning, he showed us everything we wanted to see. He was out here, he was making plays and he was doing some really good things and opening our eyes. I’m excited about all four of those guys. We have an opportunity to see them all play, and they all can do it for us.”
UC football Spring Showcase canceled
The Bearcats were to play a controlled scrimmage at noon on Saturday, April 18 at Nippert Stadium but the event was canceled because of a bad weather forecast. The team will instead work out indoors, which will not be open to the public.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What Cincinnati Bearcats running backs will see field in 2026?
Reporting by Scott Springer, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
