On our front page now, but story from our friend Ross Dellenger from sister site Yahoo Sports on the Big 12 and Brett Yormark:

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but local three-star Paul Nelson just announced minutes ago on social media that he's now committed to the Hoosiers:
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Full press conference today from Satterfield:

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Hey guys, I mentioned I'd be moving to some basketball targets, as that's now taken focus, with Peach Jam (BIG event on the EYBL) coming up Saturday. I won't be there, but Rivals will have tons of coverage coming out of it, from our friends Rob Cassidy and Jordan James. But I did catch up with one of the guys the Bearcats offered recently, Jermal Jones, or at least his dad, Jermal Jones Sr.
Login to view embedded media Jones Sr told me one of the biggest things is that Jones Jr has moved from the Florida Rebels to Jet Academy in EYBL. They think it'll be a better fit and lead to better exposure, with Peach Jam coming up. His dad didn't talk about a ton of specific schools, but UC, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and South Florida as schools they've heard from in recent weeks. He told me they'll visit the first three some time next month, during the open visit period, after the summer season.

With UC, Jones Sr. told me "We have a good relationship." He said the coaches have told him they want to "meet and greet" at Peach Jam, so we might know more of how serious the Bearcats are and when a date might be that the Jones' will visit UC. One of the biggest reasons for their interest in the Bearcats is Jizzle James, who's from central Florida like they are.

But the school Jones Sr. kept going on about was Purdue. He loves the situation there, how he believes the Boilermakers develop high school guys, rather than rely on the transfer portal. "When Matt Painter calls you, he just went to the championship and not many get that opportunity," Jones Sr. told me. They even considered transferring to La Lumiere (Ind.) a prep school not that far from Purdue. I'm not saying that's the reason they'd transfer there, but he would have been much closer for sure.

So right now, Purdue seems like the school to watch the most. But I think UC is right there, but really wants to see Jones Jr. live at Peach Jam. I expect Jones to visit UC next month, we just don't know when. Also, Jones Sr. told me his son will definitely transfer high schools this fall. My guess is Montverde (Fla.), but we'll see.

Full story coming with Jones Sr.'s comments.

Big news this morning out of Las Vegas and Big 12 Media Day. Scott Satterfield said on a BYU radio station that Corleone is back in workouts:
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I've been told this kid is focusing purely on basketball now. Played with Florida Rebels on EYBL this summer:
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Following an INsider a few weeks ago. Also, just a heads up, I'll be catching up with a lot of basketball prospects this week, as basketball is ramping up, while football is quieting down the next few weeks during the dead period.

From the Big 12:

In its debut season as a member of the Big 12, Utah was chosen to finish first in the Conference's 2024 football preseason poll as voted on by media representatives.

The Utes claimed 20 first-place votes and totaled 906 points, edging out Kansas State in second with 19 first-place ballots and 889 points. Oklahoma State placed third with 14 first-place votes and 829 points after playing in the 2023 Dr Pepper Big 12 Football Championship. Kansas came in fourth with five first-place nods and 772 points while Arizona notched fifth with three first-place votes and 762 points.

The remaining preseason rankings include 6. Iowa State (661 points), 7. West Virginia (581 points), 8. UCF (551 points), 9. Texas Tech (532 points), 10. TCU (436 points), 11. Colorado (400 points), 12. Baylor (268 points), 13. BYU (215 points), 14. Cincinnati (196 points), 15. Houston (157 points) and 16. Arizona State (141 points).

Big 12 Football Media Days, Presented by Totino's will be conducted next Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9-10. Coverage from both days will be provided on ESPNU and Big 12 Now on ESPN+. For additional information, follow Big12Sports.com and the Conference's official social media platforms.

2024 Big 12 Football Media Preseason Poll

First-place votes in parenthesis.

Release from UC after Big 12's full release:

Cincinnati football stars Dontay "The Godfather" Corleone and Luke Kandra were named on Tuesday to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.

Corleone, a rising redshirt junior nose tackle from Cincinnati, collected All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2023 after totaling 39 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and three sacks while starting all 12 games to anchor defense. The Colerain high school product capped the fall as the Big 12's third-rated defensive lineman (83.6), according to Pro Football Focus. Corleone makes the Preseason All-Big 12 Team for a second straight year. He collected consensus Freshman All-America and Associated Press Third Team All-America honors in 2022 after finishing as the nation's highest-graded defensive player by PFF. On Friday, it was announced that Corleone is out indefinitely with a non-football illness.

Kandra is also a Cincinnati native, having transferred back home to the Bearcats after playing at Louisville for three seasons. The Elder High School product proved to be one of the nation's top interior offensive linemen in 2023. He ranked as the third-best Power Five guard (81.8) according to PFF while starting all 12 games and leading UC with 79 knockdowns. He returns as the country's top-graded P4 right guard in 2024 and will anchor an offensive line that returns all five starters. Cincinnati finished fifth nationally in rushing (217.1 ypg) in 2023 behind Kandra and running back Corey Kiner (1,047 yards), who also returns.

From UC:

Cincinnati redshirt senior right guard Luke Kandra was named to the Preseason All-America Second Team by the Walter Camp Football Foundation earlier this week.

The Walter Camp All-America team is the nation's oldest and one of the most prestigious All-America teams.

The Cincinnati native and Elder High School graduate also collected preseason All-Big 12 honors on Tuesday.

Kandra became just the seventh Bearcat to earn Walter Camp All-America honors in 2023, collecting second team mention following his breakout season last fall.

The Louisville transfer ranked as the third-best Power Five guard (81.8) according to PFF while starting all 12 games and leading UC with 79 knockdowns in 2023. He returns as the country's top-graded P4 right guard in 2024 and will anchor an offensive line that returns all five starters. Cincinnati finished fifth nationally in rushing (217.1 ypg) in 2023 behind Kandra and running back Corey Kiner (1,047 yards), who also returns.

Kandra already holds a degree in interdisciplinary studies and is on track to earn his MBA this December. Additionally, he is set to marry his fiancé, Alex Smith, later this month.

In June, he threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds versus Cleveland Guardians game at Great American Ballpark alongside women’s basketball star Jillian Hayes as part of the “Reigns and Reds” promotion to raise funds for Cincy Reigns, the official NIL Collective of Cincinnati Athletics. He will join Kiner, Derrick Canteen and Mason Fletcher as Cincinnati’s Big 12 Media Days representatives on Tuesday.

Guys, catching back up here. Just got back from family vacation in Galveston, Texas. Had a great time at the beach! So, I'll post the press releases I've gotten from UC over the past few days. This one is Rivals' recap of June commitments in the Big 12:

UC is first offer here
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Hey guys, I had an INsider a while ago on this 2027 TE from Boyle County (Ky.) who UC offered. He added a Louisville offer since then and camped at a lot of places. Here's an updated story on where he is:

Hey guys, I thought I'd just go ahead and do a story, since I gave a lot of info on Kontosis in the INsider earlier this week. The main thing here I'll add is that the biggest factor here is his mom. Gotta make her happy to get Kontosis to commit. I think UC will wait for a while here. I just don't think he's sold on the Bearcats yet. I think Tennessee and Pitt would have to fall through for sure.

Just a few weeks away. Release from UC:

Cincinnati football leaders Derrick Canteen, Mason Fletcher, Luke Kandra and Corey Kiner will join second-year head coach Scott Satterfield on July 9 at Totino’s Big 12 Media Days in Las Vegas.

The group will spend a full day talking about Bearcats football with reporters and producers on television and radio as well as participating in several marketing and branding activations with the conference.

Canteen, a sixth-year senior defensive back, has proven to be a respected veteran this winter and spring after transferring from Virginia Tech, where he tallied 43 tackles and five pass breakups over 13 games. He spent four seasons at Georgia Southern, earning All-Sun Belt honors in 2020 and 2022. In 2020, he tied the FBS-lead with six interceptions en route to Freshman All-America honors. The Evans, Ga., native is expected to be a leader at safety in new defensive coordinator Tyson Veidt’s defense.

Fletcher enters his senior season as one of the nation’s top punters. Despite battling injuries all season, the Melbourne, Australia native ranked fourth in the Big 12 with a 43.0-yard average and dropped 23 punts inside the 20-yard line with zero touchbacks en route to all-conference honorable mention honors. In 2022, Fletcher was one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award after ranking fourth nationally with a 46.2 average. He grabbed All-America Third Team accolades from the Associated Press and was named the American’s Special Teams player of the Year. Fletcher had an 84-yard punt to set the UC and AAC record against SMU. His 44.3 career average ranks second in Cincinnati history.

Kandra, a redshirt senior right guard, is expected to be among the nation’s top offensive linemen this fall following a 2023 season in which he picked up Walter Camp All-America Second Team and Associated Press Third Team All-America accolades. The Cincinnati native transferred back home to UC from Louisville last season. He led the Bearcats with 79 knockdowns and prove to be amount the most durable players in the country, logging 895 snaps – the third-most of any guard during the regular season. His 81.1 rating from Pro Football Focus last season makes him the highest-graded returning guard in the Power Four.

Kiner, a rising senior running back, authored the 20th 1,000-yard season in Cincinnati history last fall. The Cincinnati native and former Ohio Mr. Football as a prep standout at Roger Bacon High School rushed for 1,047 yards and five touchdowns on 192 carries (5.5 ypc) in 2023. He finished with 100 yards rushing six times and hard a career-high 153 yards in a road win at Pitt. He enters in his final season looking to join Mike Warren II (2019-20) and Isaiah Pead (2010-11) as the only Bearcats to rush for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons in the last 30 years (since 1994).

Replaces Jake Thelen, who left to be coach at Covington Catholic. Full release from UC:

Cincinnati men's basketball head coach Wes Miller has announced that former graduate assistant Jaylen Stowe has returned to the Bearcats as an assistant coach.

“I’m excited to welcome Jaylen back to our staff," Miller said. "He is a rising star in coaching. He’s always had a passion for helping players improve and it’s been impressive to watch that passion grow into other aspects of coaching. He will oversee our player development program and also serve as an assistant coach.”

Stowe was a GA for the Bearcats from 2021-23, Miller's first two years, before landing his first full-time job as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at High Point. It was a memorable year for the Panthers, who with 11 newcomers won the Big South regular-season title and went 27-9, the winningest season in their Division I history. First-year head coach Alan Huss was the league's Coach of the Year among several team postseason accolades.

Stowe, also a GA under Miller his final year at UNC Greensboro in 2020-21, played at SoCon rival Mercer from 2015-19. He averaged 10.5 points per game and started all 31 contests as a senior. He also played one season in the ABA for the Richmond Elite.

I mean, wow, what a blow to the Bearcats. Statement below from UC:
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Not detailed with dates yet, but we know who UC will play next season in conference:
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Following up my previous INsider. I think Medlock sticks with UC, but he'll be officially visiting Maryland on July 26.

Somewhat surprising here, but Withrow three-star Erik Gayle flips commitment to Illinois
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