Cincinnati Football: Bearcats are building for the long term
The front seven is experienced
Like the offense, the Cincinnati defense never really got going in 2017. They surrendered 33.5 points per game, good for 101st in the nation, and only held three FBS opponents below 30 points.
That’ll have to change in 2018 for the Bearcats to be successful. The good news is that there’s reason to be optimistic about the front seven. Defensive tackle Marquise Copeland was a stud in 2017, earning Honorable Mention All-AAC honors after racking up 63 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. The Bearcats return a trio of senior ends to complement him, though they weren’t terribly productive last season – Kevin Mouhon, Courtez Broughton, and Kimoni Fitz combined for 114 tackles but just three sacks.
If the seniors can’t get it done, there are a handful of exciting young players waiting in the wings. Early enrollee and true freshman lineman Malik Vann had offers from the likes of Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Wisconsin and could contribute early, while German three-star freshman Lorenz Metz is massive (6-foot-9, 293 pounds) and also was on campus for the spring. No matter how the pieces fall, there’s a good amount to like here.
The linebackers are similarly promising. Though the Bearcats have to replace middle linebacker Jaylyin Minor, junior Perry Young (101 tackles, nine tackles for loss in 2017) returns and looks like a star in the making, as does Jarrell White, who was promising as a true freshman.
The secondary? Not so much
Cincy loses five of their top eight tacklers from last year’s secondary, including their top three cornerbacks. That’s troubling, and will place a lot of pressure on seniors Malik Clements and Tyrell Gilbert to lead the unit. In order for the pass defense to stay afloat, players will have to step up at corner who haven’t seen much playing time to date.
That’s not an unreasonable expectation. That could be sophomore Marquis Smith, who made 11 tackles as a redshirt freshman, or perhaps high three-star true freshman Arquon Bush, who chose the Bearcats over offers from Michigan State, Kentucky, and Purdue. Until they prove it on the field, though, the secondary appears to be a bit of a black hole on this defense.
Though the pass defense may regress, the Bearcats look solid up front, and it’s hard to see this defense not improving, at least marginally. At any rate, expect Fickell’s bunch to be a bit more proactive than they were in 2017; Cincy ranked 121st in the nation in sacks and 119th in interceptions. That’s unlikely to happen again.