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Hey guys, I caught up with one of UC's visitors for the spring game, Quince Orchard (Md.) three-star CB Aydan West. He's got 19 total scholarship offers, including one from the Bearcats.
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West told me that was the first time he'd been on campus in Clifton and he loved the attention he said he got from the staff. He's talked a lot with Cass Simmons on the staff, but also with assistant coach Kerry Coombs. West told me "I get a good feeling from Coach Coombs." Specifically, he likes Coombs' personality, but also how he treats his players and the record he has of putting players in the NFL. West said he believes he'd have the opportunity to play as a freshman at UC and would get a "fair chance."

Before that visit, West said he was at SMU's spring game on April 5, but he didn't have a lot of positives to say there. He told me he didn't talk to any coaches and didn't see campus, since the game was at a nearby high school due to construction on Ford Stadium. He also visited TCU while he was in Texas and felt like he got more positives out of that visit. That's not one I'd worry about, though.

Right now, West has official visits planned May 31 at West Virginia, June 7 at Virginia, June 13 at UC and June 21 at Wake Forest. West Virginia is the one I'd watch most here. West hinted that he might decide even before he takes those visits, in the next month or so. I think it's between the first three, but in that order. So UC has some ground to make up here. But it will be interesting to see if he does take any of those official visits. Definitely will be one to the program he chooses.

Full story coming.

Story up shortly, but good get from nearby Newnurgh:
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I made the joke on X that UC and the Fletchers is becoming Tennessee and the Colquits. Mason's younger brother Max announced over the weekend he's transferring to UC. Blurb below from Rivals:

A day after entering the transfer portal, Arkansas punter Max Fletcher has committed to Cincinnati.

A 6-foot-5, 174-pound sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, Fletcher had a breakout season in the SEC last year after he punted 59 times for an SEC-leading 2,770 yards (46.9 average).

He was named All-SEC Second Team after pinning a fourth-best 19 punts inside the 20-yard line and was the first Arkansas punter to receive All-SEC recognition since Dylan Breeding in 2012.
https://cincinnati.rivals.com/news/transfer-portal-live-latest-news-during-spring-open-period

Please do not copy/paste or summarize any portion of this post to other Web sites or message boards, as it is a direct violation of copyright laws and could result in the termination of your Rivals.com subscription per our terms of service. Thank you.
Hey guys, I caught up with one of UC's visitors last weekend for the spring game, Oscar Smith (Va.) three-star cornerback Jahmari DeLoatch. It was his first time in Clifton and it seems to have made a massive difference in his recruitment.
Login to view embedded media I interviewed DeLoatch last week for another story, before his UC visit, and it seemed like he was very pro Virginia Tech. I even made my FutureCast for him with the Hokies. He'd already set an official visit there, immediately after he unofficially visited VT for a spring practice. I had to get him to talk about other schools, as I always do, to get as accurate a representation of his recruitment as possible. That seems to have changed a bit.

Now, after he went to UC, DeLoatch instantly set an official visit to Clifton on June 14. DeLoatch visited with his dad and he told me they loved the campus, love how close it is to downtown and spent a lot of time down there as well. "I was kinda surprised," is what DeLoatch told me about the visit. He said he liked seeing all the construction and progress being made on campus, with the new facilities coming. The other thing DeLoatch told me is he loved, for how big UC is, how close all the buildings and everything on campus seemed. That was a BIG plus for him.

DeLoatch also really likes assistant coach Kerry Coombs and defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt. He told me he loves Coombs' history of working with players, putting guys in the NFL and also his personality and energy. "And he sugarcoats nothing," DeLoatch said. "He'll give it to you straight-forward."

On Tuesday, DeLoatch visited Vanderbilt, which was his final visit of the spring. That seems to have gone well, but he's unsure of an official visit there. That, plus how quickly he scheduled one to UC after the spring game, leads me to think this is neck and neck between UC and Virginia Tech. I'm leaving my FutureCast for now, but this one is probably 55/45 in favor of VT at this point. I think the Bearcats have vastly closed the gap here.

Official visit to Virginia Tech June 7-8, which will be his first. UC is the next weekend, followed by Wake Forest June 21. The Deacons are the darkhorse here. Odds are low, but I wouldn't rule them out, since he has an official set there.

Full story coming.

MASSIVE legislative movement this morning, as Virginia has allowed its colleges to now directly pay student-athletes for NIL:
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Remember the bathtub of Skyline at the Kelce's podcast at Fifth-Third? Apparently he lost his Super Bowl ring in it:

We already knew he was leaving UC. He announced that last month. But many thought he’d go overseas, since he can’t make money off NIL as an international player. Today, he transferred to Clemson. All I can think is he must be getting advice that the international rule won’t soon apply. For now, it does.

The only Bearcat now not to announce his intentions (going or staying) is CJ Fredrick
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Transferring from USC. Was No. 50 in 2023 Rivals150 and officially visited the Bearcats in the fall of 2022.
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Story now on the front page. Kid from Withrow who is currently the highest-ranked of UC's seven commits: