Not sure what changed in the last 48 hours, but everything I'd been hearing was that Kentucky was the favorite. I'm told he had a conversation with De'Rail Sims in the past 24 hours and whatever was said apparently pushed UC over the top:

Hey guys, continuing what will be a regular content item here, deciphering what Satterfield says in his press conferences. Here's our latest, following his presser yesterday:

I have a feeling we'll see him on more than these two, but Dontay Corleone was named to the Outland and Nagurski watch lists today:
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Coach Scott Satterfield took questions from members of the working media on Tuesday, as UC starts fall camp tomorrow. The team heads to Higher Ground on Friday:

No, not the one from Dunder Mifflin...
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Hey guys, sorry I'm late posting here. My wife had the day off and we just got back from lunch and a movie (The Haunted Mansion, her favorite ride at Disney World). Anyway, this shouldn't be a surprise, after my INsider post yesterday. Price silent verballed on Wednesday during his visit, then just announced publicly today:

Guys, I've been told not to post the whole schedule, but I will tell you that UC will have a press conference to open fall camp on Tuesday. The next day will be the first practice and the team heads to Higher Ground on Friday. We'll post interviews and info when available.

Don't normally get guys who will play the upcoming season, just a few days before the start of camp, but UC got one Thursday. JUCO defensive back from California:

To the shock of no one at this point. But here's statements first from UC athletics director John Cunningham and then the Big 12:

Cunningham: "We are excited to welcome the University of Colorado to the Big 12 Conference and look forward to competing against the Buffaloes. We appreciate Commissioner Brett Yormark’s vision for the future of the league. We are honored to be a member of a conference that continues to be on the forefront of innovation, academic achievement and competitive excellence.”

IRVING, TX (July 27, 2023) - The following statement was released today by the Big 12 Conference, through its Commissioner Brett Yormark, regarding the University of Colorado:

"They're back."

Just so you're all updated. Here's when to expect pre-season awards:

• Mon., July 31: Maxwell Award
• Tue., Aug 1: Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy
• Wed., Aug. 2: Lou Groza Award and Ray Guy Award
• Thu., Aug. 3: Paul Hornung Award and Wuerffel Trophy
• Fri., Aug. 4: Mackey Award and Rimington Trophy
• Mon., Aug. 7: Biletnikoff Award
• Tue., Aug. 8: Davey O'Brien Award
• Wed., Aug. 9: Doak Walker Award
• Thu., Aug. 10: Butkus Award and Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
• Fri., Aug. 11: Walter Camp Award
• Mon., Aug. 14: Bednarik Award

Guys, I know this isn't Bearcat related, but I'm a die-hard Bengals guy and I'm crushed seeing this. Joe Burrow just got hurt with no contact. Those are never good...
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Guys, just wanted to pass on that it sounds like UC got a silent verbal commitment yesterday from Taft (OH) three-star safety Quinton Price. He visited the Bearcats' elite camp and barbecue and shortly after tweeted he has a big announcement coming. I can't get full confirmation, but I've put in a FutureCast as all signs say Price will choose UC.
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I haven't been able to lock down Flory Bidunga like I'd hoped, but Rob Cassidy again reporting UC out of the running there. Still, he drops a couple of big names the Bearcats are involved with, like Tyler Betsey, thanks to the work of former Bearcat Cane Broome.

I really think Jones will be a four-star recruit by the final rankings. Adam Friedman just compared him to Jalen Hurts:

I don't think anyone is hugely surprised here. But this is another move that should trigger more realignment across the country. I've linked a pair of stories below from our site covering Colorado, CUSportsReport. They also link the original stories, broken by ESPN's Pete Thamel and Yahoo's Ross Dellenger:

Hey guys, I put this on the front page, but wanted to share this story on Patterson, from our sister site, CatsIllustrated. I know Kentucky feels super confident here in this one. But I do think UC is hanging in:

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 four-star guard Labaron Philon, who's one of UC's top remaining targets in the 2024 class. Wanted to see who's still in contention.
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First off, Philon just transferred over the summer from Baker (Ala.) to Link Year (Mo.), a national prep school powerhouse. If Link sounds familiar it's because that's where UC four-star commit Tyler McKinley played last season and won a national championship. I asked Philon about McKinley and Philon told me, "That's my guy." He said he and McKinley have been tight and it sounds like he's at least partly the reason why Philon transferred. He told me it won't completely decide, but that's a big reason why the Bearcats are in so well here.

But the UC staff has also put a good press on Philon this summer, too. Philon said he's become really close with assistant coach Chad Dollar and coach Wes Miller. He told me he's also noticed that every game he played all summer, he noticed someone from the Bearcats' staff courtside. Overall, Philon said he's been to Cincinnati, but never been on campus in Clifton. I do think he liked the city itself.

No dates as of now, but Philon said he plans to see UC, Alabama, Kansas and Ole Miss this fall, likely in September. He didn't confirm it, but I think those will be official visits. I asked him about the other three, too and Philon seemed to say the most about Kansas. He told me he has a good relationship with assistant coach Jeremy Case and I think that's abig reason why the Jayhawks are in the mix. No mention of Auburn, where he was committed until April, so I'm gonna say the Tigers are out.

I do think this is a two-team race between KU and UC, though Alabama could sneak up and get him as well. I see Ole Miss as more of the outlier right now. Philon did tell me "I feel like I'm close," as far as a decision. My guess is he'll decide in either late September or early October, so UC getting an early visit weekend from him could be big. But I know UC wants to build the hell out of that Oklahoma game Sept. 23. So that could be when Philon and most big recruits visit.

Full story coming.

Guys, UC is hosting a big elite camp and barbecue today (I had mistakenly mentioned yesterday in previous posts) and I wanted to provide some more details. Below is a running list of visitors, which will be updated as I confirm who made it and who did not:

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Hey guys, I got this email from the National Football Foundation with some interesting, random stats with football. Just thought you might be interested:

As the 2023 season approaches, the NFF anticipates that more than one million students will take the field at 15,810 high schools and another 81,000 will play college football at 773 four-year institutions with another 16 colleges and universities having announced plans to add teams in the coming years.

Exceptional growth is also being experienced on several other fronts, and the Sports Business Journal has reported 474,000 girls between the ages of 6 and 17 played flag football in 2022, a 63% increase from 2019. Last season, 16 NAIA schools fielded varsity women’s flag football teams with a total of 19 teams slated for 2023. Flag football also debuted at the 2022 World Games and is in the mix as a potential Olympic sport. Sprint Football, which added the six teams to the mix in 2022, will add two more programs in 2023, bringing the total of colleges with sprint teams to 17.


HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
15,800* High Schools in the U.S. that Sponsor Football

(as of 2021-22 Season, National Federation of State High School Associations)

1.04 Million* High School Football Players in the U.S.

(as of 2021-22 Season, National Federation of State High School Associations)

7.8 Percent of High School Football Players will Play in College

2,584 High Schools in the U.S. Sponsor Girls Tackle Football

(as of 2021-22 Season, National Federation of State High School Associations)

*Note: These numbers do not include private and/or parochial high schools that do not report to the state high school association

COLLEGE FOOTBALL (EST. 1869)
773 Colleges & Universities Playing Football at All Levels

(FBS, FCS, Div. II, Div. III, NAIA and more)

81,000(+) College Football Players in NCAA & NAIA

89 Colleges & Universities Added Football Programs from 2008-22

16 Colleges & Universities Will Add Football Programs in 2023 and Beyond

17 Colleges & Universities Offering Sprint Football

19 Colleges & Universities Offering Women’s Flag Football as a Varsity Sport

123 Junior Colleges Offering Football

0.41 Percent of College Football Players Made NFL Opening Week Rosters in 2022


NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (est. 1920)
32 NFL Teams

2,016 Players on NFL Rosters

297 Rookies Made NFL Opening Week Rosters in 2022 (NFL)

259 College Football Players Were Drafted in 2023

672 College Football Players Signed as Undrafted Free Agents or Received Training Camp Invitations in 2023

3.3 Years is an Average NFL Player’s Career (Statista)


COLLEGE & UNIVERSITY GRADUATION RATES
82% Graduation Success Rate of Football Bowl Subdivision Football Student-Athletes (NCAA)

70% Graduation Rate of General Student Body at Division I Institutions (NCAA)

3,113 Student-Athletes on 2022 College Football Rosters Had Already Earned Their Undergraduate Degrees

5,863 Football Student-Athletes have Returned to School to Earn Their Degrees since 2003—the most among all NCAA Division I sports (NCAA)


NFF COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME (EST. 1951)
5.62 Million College Football Players All-Time (est. 1869)
1,074 Players and 230 Coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame All-Time

Less Than Two One-Hundredths of a Percent (.02%) of All-Time Players Have Earned Induction into the College Football Hall of Fame

22 Coaches and Players from 25 schools representing 6 different decades to be inducted into College Football Hall of Fame Class on December 5, 2023

Another win last night, now the team will play in the quarterfinals Monday at UD Arena in Dayton:
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