Sean Lewis emerging as a candidate per sources… was at Syracuse as a Co-OC while Cunningham was an associate AD. He’s a young, energized coach with experience recruiting Ohio. Long way to the finish line but don’t doubt MAC coaches abilities to jump to the next level

Just after this I followed up with a source within the MAC who said Lewis has interviewed with Cincinnati.

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.

Good morning Bearcats! Nothing super definitive, but wanted to post the latest on this Tuesday morning.

*The most definitive thing I'm told is that the plan to have a coach in place by the end of the week is still the goal. Which, if anything, that should eliminate any coaches from the teams playing in championship games this weekend. And if we don't have a hire in place by the end of the week, that could signal a shift to a candidate from one of those teams. If that were to happen, the top candidates from those teams are Jesse Minter at Michigan and Garrett Riley at TCU. The latter is especially intriguing. Riley is a Texas guy, has lived most of his life there and coached mostly there. No real ties to Ohio or the midwest. BUT, since UC is headed to the Big 12, the thought is that the Bearcats will recruit more in Texas, with four Big 12 schools there. That makes Riley more of a possibility.

**The name I've heard the most mentioned with sources talking about UC is Alex Golesh. I'll be shocked if he isn't in town today or tomorrow to interview, based on what I've heard. There's some real fear from the Vol side that Golesh is very interested as well. I'll let Sam add here as he gathers intel, but Golesh is a very, very intriguing candidate. As you can see from my hot board, he grew up in Ohio and graduated from Ohio State. And Tennessee had a very prolific offense this season. Against the teams UC will see in the Big 12, points are a premium.

More info coming when available.

Miller, Lahkin and Nolley talked ahead of UC's game tomorrow with NJIT:

Mason Fletcher getting recognized again, this time as a finalist. Release from UC:

Cincinnati sophomore punter Mason Fletcher was announced on Tuesday as one of three finalists for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to college football’s top punter.

Fletcher, a native of Melbourne, Australia, is joined by Rutgers’ Adam Korsak and Michigan State’s Bryce Baringer as finalists.

The winner will be announced on the 32nd annual The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Fletcher ranks fourth nationally in average (46.7) and the Bearcats’ net average of 44.69 sits second-best in the country. He has boomed 28 punts inside the 20 and sent 14 at least 50 yards with only two touchbacks in 55 attempts.

Fletcher is a two-time AAC Special Teams Player of the Week and was selected as the Ray Guy National Punter of the Week earlier this season.

He shattered UC and AAC records at SMU last month. Fletcher booted an incredible 84-yard punt in the first quarter against the Mustangs, breaking the 46-year-old Cincinnati record by six yards as well as the AAC record by five yards. The previous UC mark of 78 yards was set by Mike Connell in 1976.

Fletcher sent each of his three punts at least 50 yards with two dropping inside the 20-yard line versus SMU. His 65.0 average also shattered the UC and AAC marks, and remains the best single-game average in college football in 2022. Current Cincinnati Bengals punter Kevin Huber held the old UC mark of 58.7 – set in 2007.

He is the third Bearcat to be named a finalist for the prestigious punting award, joining Kevin Huber (2008) and James Smith (2018).

Fletcher is looking to join Coby Bryant (2021 Jim Thorpe Award) and Jonathan Ruffin (2000 Lou Groza Award) as national award winners for Cincinnati.

Release this morning from UC:

Cincinnati senior linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was named one of three finalists on Tuesday for the Chuck Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player.

The winner will be announced on the 32nd annual The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Pace Jr., who starred at Colerain High School in Cincinnati, tallied 120 tackles to go along with 19.5 TFLs and 9.0 sacks in 2022, while leading a defense that ranked fifth nationally in yards per play allowed (4.52).

His 19.5 TFLs rank third in the nation, while his 120 stops are seventh-most in the country and his nine sacks sit 14th.

He is the nation’s second-highest-graded defensive player according to Pro Football Focus (93.1), and a finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the nation’s top linebacker.

He collected National Linebacker of the Month honors from the Butkus in October.

Pace Jr. was named a Midseason All-American by the Associated Press, ESPN, The Athletic and Pro Football Focus.

In Week 4, he was outstanding against Indiana, tallying 15 tackles, 4.5 TFLs (fifth-most in UC history), 2.5 sacks and three QB hurries en route to AAC Defensive Player of the Week, Bednarik National Player of the Week and PFF Defensive Player of the Week honors.

He is a two-time PFF National Team of the Week honoree and two-time member of the AAC Weekly Honor Roll.

Pace Jr. finished 10th in the nation with 125 tackles in 2021 while playing for Miami (Ohio). He had six sacks in a game for the Redhawks against Akron in 2019, as well.



Pace Jr. is looking to join Coby Bryant (2021 Jim Thorpe Award) and Jonathan Ruffin (2000 Lou Groza Award) as national award winners for Cincinnati.

The former Cincinnati WR commit details his decision to reopen his recruiting process, says the Bearcats are still an option, talks new schools involved, and more

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.

Guys, I've posted some stuff on some other threads, but my goal is to post daily threads with that day's updates. I'll let Sam add anything here as well, as I know he's reached out to a ton of his sources.

*First off, I'm told, barring some blips and anything unforeseen, John Cunningham is moving quickly on this search. I'm told the goal is to have a new coach in place by the end of the week. And there are many reasons for that. First off, probably most importantly, we've just got a few weeks before National Signing Day. And time is money in holding on to current recruits, but also getting more. That day is always the third Wednesday in December, so Dec. 21. If there's a coach in place this week, you could conceivably get a few recruits on campus for official visits this coming weekend, then have two more weekends to host visitors. That's huge, as we've already seen some noteworthy decommitments since yesterday, like Amare Snowden, Jonas Duclona and Ayden Greene.

**Second, our friend Tim Adams mentioned this on another thread, but yes, I'm told that coach Luke Fickell has offered most, if not all of his staffers a spot on his staff at Wisconsin. Most notably, this includes the recruiting staffers who have been so vital to the recruiting success UC has had. And I'm told all those he offered jobs to have accepted. They just don't want to put anything out there until the new coach is in place and he can start making his own hires. But this will be a pretty thorough house cleaning. You might see a coach or two retained for some continuity, but that's about it.

***Lastly, I'm told that all three of UC's coordinators, Kerry Coombs, Mike Tressel and Gino Guidugli will get interviews with Cunningham. I'm not sure if these will be full interviews or if they'll be out of courtesy or if they're serious interviews, but I'm told they will happen, if they haven't already. From what I'm told, Coombs has the best shot of the three. But I know Cunningham has a great deal of respect for all three coaches.

So that's all I have for the moment, but Sam and I will keep y'all updated here on any more info we come across.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news on this Monday, but the cornerstone of the class, Amare Snowden, has decommitted:
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

Hey guys, Sam and I have spent the day compiling some names to keep an eye on. I'll update this as things progress as well. The one thing in common is a connection to either Ohio or Cincinnati, or both in multiple cases.

Hey guys, I know many of you have moved on from this game, but for consistency's sake, wanted to post the Pro Football Focus grades from Tulane. I've done this after every game this season, so I don't wanna stop now. I'll do this for the bowl game as well.

There’s a lot of reporting going on right now regarding Luke Fickell and Wisconsin.

After doing some digging, I’ve confirmed there is fire where there is smoke regarding this situation.

Fickell is expected to inform the team of his decision today, and a deal is expected to be finalized today or early tomorrow.

The candidate pool for Cincinnati will be deep, as the move to the Big 12 and the talent on the roster will elevate the program above several other current openings.

Hot board on the way, while Sam will also post some INsider info as well.

Post game press conference after UC's 27-24 loss to Tulane:

Tough one for UC. Home win streak ends at 32, Bearcats out of the AAC title game.

Per Justin Williams of The Athletic, QB Ben Bryant out not only today, but for the rest of the season with a right foot injury. So, Evan Prater is the guy moving forward.

On offense, Leonard Taylor is expected to play today at tight end, but Dontay Corleone is out today with an unspecified injury, while Malik Vann I'm told is also out.

Big one as y'all know this afternoon at Nippert Stadium. I'll update later after we see exactly who shows up, but a lot of recruits in town today for the game. Below are the ones to especially note:
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

Tough one to stomach on Turkey day. Seems like bc a huge Michigan lean:
Login to view embedded media Login to view embedded media

Thought this would be a good read on Turkey day:

Seems like there was an ulterior motive for Sam to travel to Maui, not just for the Bearcats. A HUUUGE congrats Sam!
Login to view embedded media

Just wanted to say I’m thankful for plenty on this Thanksgiving day, including all of you who subscribe and check us out. Hope you all have blessed Thanksgivings!

We caught up with Guerry Smith at Rivals’ Tulane site, TheWaveReport.com:

Yes, Louisville is a BAAAAD team this season, but this is still a win that UC can maybe build some momentum with:

Full story on the Bearcats moving up. Tulane is No. 19.

I mean, I'm not sure what to say about this one. Great start, then downhill from there. This one was ugly: