Release from UC:
The University of Cincinnati men's basketball team's 18-game AAC schedule has been released, and the Bearcats also have tip-off times and broadcast information for most of their non-conference matchups as well.

Twelve of the league games will air on linear TV, including a Saturday, Jan. 28 battle at Houston on CBS. The other six are slated for ESPN+. The full printable schedule can be found here (PDF).

As for UC's non-conference slate, its Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout against Xavier will be at 3 p.m. on Dec. 10 (ESPN2). It marks the third of seven-straight home games following the team's trip to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational that begins Nov. 21 against Arizona (11:30 p.m. on ESPN2).

Just like last year, UC opens league play against Tulane (Thursday, Dec. 29 at 9 p.m.). The Bearcats follow with road games at Temple and Wichita State, followed by two at home against Houston and East Carolina. The next two are at SMU and South Florida before hosting Memphis on Saturday, Jan. 22 and closing the month at Houston.

UC begins the next month with Tulsa (Feb. 1) and UCF (Feb. 4) in Fifth Third Arena before playing at Tulane on Tuesday, Feb. 7 for its first New Orleans trip in two years. The Bearcats then host South Florida on Feb. 11, followed by two on the road at ECU and UCF, before hosting Temple on Feb. 22.

The Bearcats conclude the season with back-to-back Sunday games at Memphis (Feb. 26) and home against SMU (March 5). As previously announced, Tulsa (home) and Wichita State (away) are the only AAC teams that Cincinnati will not play twice.

Further tip-off and broadcast information will be announced when available.

Full schedule in PDF form

Jenkins has two teammates for sure set to visit Cincy, a possible third who already has family ties to the program.

From today's weekly press conference:

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Guys, I caught up with another recent UC visitor, 2024 athlete Tysen Smith. He doesn't have a Bearcats scholarship offer, but I wanted to catch up with him, since he has five offers and they've really given Smith a hard look. His offers right now are from Minnesota, Indiana, Western Michigan, Toledo and Indiana State.
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Smith was at the Kennesaw State game Sept. 10 and said that was his second trip to Clifton. He also visited for a practice in the spring. Smith said he loved the atmosphere, the people he got to meet and said of UC, "It’s a great place." Assistant coach Nate Letton is the primary recruiter here, which should tell you, before I even say it, that the Bearcats like Smith as a tight end. Smith said he and Letton talk regularly and that he and his family talked to Letton for an extended bit of time before the game.

Smith is absolutely a true 'athlete,' because he's being recruited in multiple spots. UC and Toledo like him as a tight end, Minnesota and Indiana like him as a defensive end, though maybe an outside linebacker depending on a lot of factors, while Western Michigan and Indiana State like him as an athlete. Smith plays both ways, but has played more D-end than anything this season because his high school team's starting DE and backup both suffered tears in their knees. One was an ACL. Because of his size and athleticism, Smith said he's been asked to play more at DE than usual and feels like he's done well. Minnesota even switched how it's been recruiting him, from tight end to defensive end, after watching him.

It'll be a busy fall for Smith, who will be at Purdue this weekend. Every weekend coming up, he'll be somewhere, going from Minnesota, to Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame and Toledo. This past weekend, he was at Duke.

The position change might be the biggest reason Smith doesn't have more offers. It sounds like most schools wanna see how he handles a season at DE, though he is still playing tight end. But his school also is a run-focused offense, which doesn't help Smith's case at tight end. UC likes him, but I'm not sure if an offer will come. I hear there's some waffling. I like Smith and think he's a solid player, but coaches need to be in on a kid. We'll see if that changes once they see more film.

Full story coming.

Richardson is planning on visiting Cincinnati this weekend with teammate James Jenkins. Update on Rivals:

Individual marks from Pro Football Focus:

Bearcats score final 31 points of the game:

As we do every year before this game, we caught up with The Miami Student to get to know the Redhawks a bit more:

TERHYON NICHOLS- The 2024 cornerback was on campus this past weekend for Cincinnati's bashing of KSU.

"The visit went great. It was really fun," Nichols said, who plays less than 5 miles down the road at Withrow High School. "It was a great environment."

Sources close to the scene said Nichols was the one target Cincinnati was most excited to see. He has previously visited the Clifton campus two times prior. It's safe to say that the speedster is Cincinnati's top cornerback prospect in 2024.

"Cincinnati is high on my list," Nichols said following the visit.

The 6-foot, 180-pounder is being recruited by Kerry Coombs. He plans to see other suitors such as Notre Dame, Penn State, among others. He said he has no timeline for a decision.

Following up my earlier INsider. You can tell he wants the big offers, but not sure which if any will come. He's a good player, but not sure he's to the level of some of the schools he's holding out hope for:

From UC athletics, interview by Dan Hoard:
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A handful of guys on this list that Cincinnati has offered in the 2025 class. First release was today:

Following up my INsider, full story on Jackson. UC in very good shape here, but he'll be visiting a ton of schools coming up:

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Guys, I caught up with another visitor from UC's game against Kennesaw State on Saturday, 2024 safety Reggie Powers. He's still unranked right now because I know Rivals analysts really haven't seen him yet. But I expect him to be a three-star player once that happens. He's got eight offers right now, though none of them very notable.
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UC offered Powers in May and this was his fourth visit to Clifton. He also visited in June for camp, for a spring practice in early April and went to a game last fall. He made the trip to UC last weekend with his dad and another teammate and said he's really been impressed by what he's seen and heard. This quote might be the most telling: "That’s the school giving me the most love so far." Powers also has two step-brothers who live in Cincinnati, which makes the Bearcats even more appealing.

This one has been a combination of assistant coach Colin Hitschler and recently, a bit more from defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. Powers said he and Hitschler have a good relationship and talk regularly, weekly at the least, but usually more than that. But what Powers said he especially loved about his last visit was getting a text after the game from coach Luke Fickell, thanking him for visiting. Powers said he was also impressed that all the coaches he talked to before and after the gamer at UC knew his name.

There's three visits coming, but none of those have offered yet. On Sept. 24, he'll be at Ohio State for a gameday visit, Oct. 8 at Pittsburgh and Oct. 15 at Tennessee. I'm not sure if any of those three will offer, but there's interest.

Right now, UC is the overwhelming favorite, if it decides it's all in on Powers. But I'm not sure that's the case just yet. We'll see what other interest comes this fall, as Powers said he's in no hurry to hurry his recruitment along. But again, if the Bearcats want him enough, I don't think they'll have to push that hard.

Full story coming.

Full press conference from earlier this afternoon:

From our national analyst, Rob Cassidy. UC not quite in the driver's seat just yet, but has to feel REALLY good about its chances right now. lots of work been put in here:

Full snap counts and grades for the Bearcats on both sides of the ball:

The AAC has announced some details of games on Sept. 24. UC will host Indiana, with kickoff set for either 3:30 or 4 pm ET and televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

Guys, I'll be updating this over the next few days, but wanted to pass on a few confirmed visitors for the home-opener on Saturday:
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Guys, I just got off the phone with the highest-ranked of UC's visitors this weekend, four-star linebacker Kari Jackson. This was his first time on campus in Clifton since June when he camped.
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If you'll remember when I talked to Jackson in July, he didn't have a UC offer, but was really hopeful of one. I think this is a case of UC wanting to dangle its offer a little bit, to add some prestige, to not just give it to Jackson. He's a big-time kid, so I don't think the Bearcats necessarily wanted to see anything before an offer. But they also wanted to see how interested he was, to see if he'd visit.

Obviously, Jackson did visit and UC offered him a scholarship before the game yesterday. He told me he had a game Friday, went straight to bed, then got up at about 5 am and drove to Cincinnati. And it sounds like the visit went well. Jackson said he even tailgated a little before the game, but met with coaches before and after, as well as some players. "It was an awesome experience," Jackson told me. "I loved everything about the campus and the environment."

Assistant coach James Ross is the main recruiter here, though Jackson said he's talked a lot with defensive coordinator Mike Tressel, too. Jackson said he loves that Ross is from Michigan, like he is and played for the same Little League football organization he did. So there's a lot of commonalities between the two. It sounds like Jackson just really likes the Bearcats overall. Had nothing but positives to say about the fans, the environment, the campus, just everything he saw and did.

This was the first visit Jackson has taken this season. He'll be at Ohio State next weekend, Michigan State the weekend after and Penn State Halloween weekend for the Ohio State game. I'd imagine he'll get in a few visits in-between Michigan State and Penn State. I also asked Jackson about how his move home has gone. He played last season at IMG Academy in Florida, then decided to go back to Michigan over the summer and is now at West Bloomfield. So I'll include that in the story.

I think it's way too early to say if there's any leaders. But there's a lot of positives here for UC. And while I was surprised the Bearcats didn't already offer, they have now and they're right in the thick of this one.

Full story coming.

It obviously depends on a lot of factors, but UC could be back in the poll with a win over Miami (OH). The Bearcats are second in receiving votes in the AP Top 25: