Watch: Scott Satterfield. Zach Grant Cincinnati Football Signing Day Recap

by Ryan Roberts December 4, 2025

The Cincinnati Bearcats closed the early signing period with what the program’s leadership believes is its strongest class since joining the Big 12. Head coach Scott Satterfield and general manager Zach Grant emphasized a shared theme during yesterday's media availability: this class delivers positional size, verified production, and multi-sport explosiveness to assist with more versatility on both sides of the ball.

Satterfield opened with his overall excitement for the incoming class and National Signing Day as a whole.

"A lot of these guys have been probably about a year and a half in recruiting," he said. "Getting them up here last January, February, throughout the spring, summer, getting them committed… bringing them here for home games. I'm excited about this class."

“This is a tremendous class… the best one we’ve had since we’ve been here," Cincinnati GM Zach Grant added. "Length. Growth potential. Explosiveness. High-level film. And high-character kids. And at every position, we check those boxes.”

Trench Priority

No position group dominated the conversation more than the offensive and defensive lines. Satterfield called them the backbone of Cincinnati’s long-term roster strategy.

“The bigs are always going to be a priority here,” he said. “The teams that are competing for Big 12 championships have good O-lines and D-lines.”

The Bearcats signed five offensive linemen in the class, prompting Satterfield to describe the group as “tough, nasty players that you want up front."

Cincinnati's offensive line class included the following:

Luke Collins — 6-5, 280 — Gahanna, Ohio (Gahanna-Lincoln HS)

Consensus three-star; Top-60 player in Ohio
First-Team All-Conference
Top-120 nationally at his position (ESPN)
Chose Cincinnati over Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, WVU, and Indiana.

Luke Grover — 6-5, 280 — Lewis Center, Ohio (Olentangy HS)

Brother of UC tight end Gavin Grover
Consensus three-star; Top-75 in Ohio
Top-150 offensive tackle in nation (247Sports)
27–8 team record during his career
Chose Cincinnati over Iowa State, NC State, Virginia Tech.

Austin Hoane — 6-5, 270 — Cookeville, Tenn. (Cookeville HS)

Consensus three-star; Top-50 in Tennessee
Two-time First Team All-State
No. 79 interior OL nationally (ESPN)
Chose Cincinnati over Memphis, JMU, Coastal Carolina.

Solomon Mathis — 6-5, 285 — Hephzibah, Ga. (Hephzibah HS)

Consensus three-star; Top-200 in Georgia
42 career pancake blocks; 17 as a senior
Played both OT and DL
Chose Cincinnati over Florida.

Nathan Zappitelli — 6-3, 280 — Mentor, Ohio (Lake Catholic HS)

Consensus three-star; Top-100 in Ohio
Division IV Ohio Offensive Player of the Year (2025)
Two-time All-State
Chose Cincinnati over Wake Forest, Pitt, WVU.

On the defensive side, the staff focused on size and disruption, adding four-star Avon (OH) defensive lineman Lance Dawson, 335-pound tackle Darius Simmons, and Belleville (IL) defensive tackle Jonathon Rulo, whom Satterfield called “the steal of the class” and a future “havoc” creator.

Lance Dawson — 6-4, 260 — Avon, Ohio (Avon HS)

Explosive, athletic, and highly productive in one of Ohio’s top programs.

Three-star; No. 26 overall in Ohio
Elite playoff performance: 2 blocked kicks, 3 sacks vs. Highland
School-record discus throw (186-10)
Multi-sport athlete

Dawson's recruitment came down to the wire with West Virginia, Illinois, and others making a strong push to get him to flip. Despite their efforts, Satterfield and crew were able to keep him in the mix and signed their highest rated recruit of the class.

“It’s a battle when you’ve got a good football player like Lance… big schools tried to come in late," Satterfield explained. “He’s got length and size… he’s going to be a big kid that plays hard.”

Grant described the final hours as chaotic:

“That went deep into the night. We woke up in the morning and we didn’t know if we’d have him… that’s what it takes to get a really good player.”

He emphasized that Cincinnati identified Dawson before anyone else did.

“When we offered him, I don’t think he even had a page… we loved Lance for Lance, not because he got ranked high later.”

Darrius Simmons — 6-2, 335 — Cairo, Ga. (Gadsden County HS)

A massive interior lineman with rare movement skills.

Three-star; Top-150 in Florida
No. 129 DT nationally (ESPN)

Satterfield emphasized his raw potential.

“He’s going to have to change his body—break him down and build him back up… it’s hard to find 300-pound guys that can move.”

Chose Cincinnati over South Carolina, K-State, Houston.

Jonathan Rulo — 6-1, 300 — Belleville, Ill. (Belleville East HS)

A destructive interior defender with elite wrestling credentials.

Three-star; No. 27 in Illinois
No. 17 prospect in state; No. 72 DT nationally (ESPN)
204 tackles, 55 TFL, 17 sacks in career
Illinois 8A All-State
National heavyweight wrestling champion

“One of the best wrestlers in the country… great balance and quickness," Satterfield stated. “He could be the steal of the class… he will cause havoc.”

Chose Cincinnati over Iowa and Kansas State.

A Quarterback Who “Checks All the Boxes”

Brooks Goodman — 6-2, 210 — Atlanta, Ga. (Blessed Trinity HS)

A polished, accurate passer with strong mobility and high-level experience.

Consensus three-star; Top-100 QB recruit (247Sports/On3)
Ranked No. 64 QB nationally by ESPN
Over 4,500 career passing yards and 41 touchdowns before senior season; 13 rushing TDs

Goodman chose Cincinnati over Ole Miss, Indiana, and Cal.

Satterfield on Goodman:

“He checks all the boxes… size, playmaking ability… not a stiff in the pocket, can move… good arm strength… leader… what you want in a quarterback. He’s been chomping at the bit to get here… doing Zoom calls learning the offense… he’ll come in and know our offense in January.

“He’s got all the intangibles… cerebral guy… played at Blessed Trinity against great competition. He won’t be scared of the competition. Fired up about Brooks… he’ll be here in January.”

Length, Versatility Across the Board at Receiver

Joshua Smith — 6-5, 195 — Columbus, Ohio (Africentric HS)

A long, athletic former quarterback who dominated Ohio high school sports.

Consensus three-star; Top-100 in Ohio
Passed for 4,425 yards and 59 TDs, plus 13 rushing TDs
Outstanding multi-sport athlete (basketball, football, track)
Accounted for 34 TDs through the first eight games of his senior year

Chose Cincinnati over Iowa State.

H’eij Jackson — 6-4, 190 — New Orleans, La. (McDonogh 35 HS)

A big-bodied playmaker with strong production in Louisiana.

Consensus three-star; Top-50 player in Louisiana
First-Team All-District as a junior (42 catches, 547 yards, 10 TD)
Three-sport standout (football, basketball, track)

Chose Cincinnati over Ole Miss, Arkansas, and Louisville.

Dadrien Waller — 6-3, 200 — Guntersville, Ala. (Guntersville HS)

A steady, efficient vertical threat with strong all-around athleticism.

Consensus three-star; Top-50 in Alabama
Averaged 17 yards per catch as a senior
Over 900 all-purpose yards in his career

Chose Cincinnati over Mississippi State.

Jalen Williams — 6-5, 220 — Bloomington, Ind. (Bloomington South HS)

A long, fluid pass-catcher with elite production.

Consensus three-star; No. 9 player in Indiana (ESPN)
947 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior

Chose UC over Alabama, Indiana, and Pittsburgh (previous USF commit).

Cincinnati made a deliberate effort to increase size and catch radius on the perimeter.

“We felt like we needed to get some bigger guys and we did,” Satterfield said. “In the Big 12… you’ve got to have a big catch radius.”

One of the class’s most intriguing addition is 6'5 athlete Joshua Smith, a former quarterback transitioning to wide receiver. Smith impressed the staff during summer workouts.

"He looked natural [at receiver)," Satterfield said. "He’s so long, 6’5, competitive, and he knows what the quarterback’s thinking because he played that position.”

At tight end, Satterfield highlighted Bloomington product, Jalen Williams, who Satterfield described as having elite pass-catching traits with his basketball background

"He’s a special talent… some of the best ball skills we’ve seen in a long time. Maybe a little undersized as a tight end but great length," he said. "Not so sure he can’t come in and play outside… he’s got that kind of hands. When he gets into the program, he’ll put on weight… but I love the length and size and ball skills."

“He can be used on the perimeter and as he gets bigger you can use him in the box. He’s a late bloomer… basketball guy who started playing football late. We’ve seen guys like that pan out," Satterfield added.

A look at the linebackers

Adam Kirtley — 6-0, 200 — Cincinnati, Ohio (Taft HS)

A homegrown tackling machine.

Three-star; Top-100 in Ohio
116 tackles as senior; 155 and 24 TFL as a junior
Division IV Southwest Ohio Defensive Player of the Year

Satterfield on Kirtley:

“He just plays with the right mentality. He's a very physical player… not as big as some of the other linebacker guys but he's a guy in our backyard who every day is working his tail off. Hard worker, physical… I watched him this year… he gets after it, his teammates get after it. I love his mentality… wants to be great… was so excited when he got the offer to stay home and play at Cincinnati.

“They’ve got a lot more talented players at that program… hopefully we’ll get more of his teammates over the years. He fits the mold exactly.”

Keegan Horn — 6-3, 225 — Hueytown, Ala.

Three-star; Top-100 in Alabama
Team captain two years
AHSAA North/South All-Star selection
Chose Cincinnati over WVU and Wake Forest.

Jaxon Newton — 6-3, 200 — Anniston, Ala.

A multi-tool defender who lined up at LB, DE, S, RB, TE, and WR.

Six TFL and four sacks as a senior
Multi-sport athlete (basketball, baseball)
Chose Cincinnati over Toledo and Southern Miss.

Evan Weinberg — 6-3, 220 — Springboro, Ohio

Three-star; Top-150 edge rusher nationally
78 tackles and 11.5 sacks as a senior
First Team Division I Southwest All-District
Chose Cincinnati over West Virginia.

CORNERBACKS & SECONDARY

Kam Hurst — 6-0, 170 — St. Louis, Mo. (Lift for Life Academy)

Three-star; Top-25 in Missouri
74 tackles, six pass breakups as a senior
First-Team All-State as a junior
Chose Cincinnati after decommitting from Washington State.

Jamarion McKinney — 6-2, 175 — Greenville, S.C.

Three-star; Top-30 in South Carolina
Shrine Bowl selection
Multi-sport athlete (basketball standout)
Chose Cincinnati over multiple programs.

Xavier Starks — 5-11, 190 — Birmingham, Ala.

Three-star; Top-75 in Alabama
109 tackles, 21 PBUs in career
Chose Cincinnati over Arkansas and Mississippi State.

Markell Taylor — 5-11, 200 — Dallas, Ga.

Top-50 safety nationally (247Sports/ESPN)
First-Team All-Region & All-Area
Chose Cincinnati over Miami (FL), K-State, Wake Forest.

Satterfield on Taylor:

“He’s an outstanding player… great size… plays in a very competitive league… very smart kid, good communicator. I see him being a great leader for us. He had an injury and couldn’t finish his year but is healing nicely… starting to run this week. Once healed, he can compete right away… super talented… had he continued to play he would have gotten a lot more offers. Would have been hard to hold on to him… we think that much of him.”

Jaidon Windom — 6-1, 180 — Detroit, Mich.

Three-star; Top-15 in Michigan
Five-time USA national boxing champion
Same high school as Sauce Gardner
Chose Cincinnati over Bowling Green, Kent State, Miami (OH).

The need for size and versatility was a major priority during this recruiting cycle. The Bearcats signed five defensive backs to address the type of depth that is needed to compete at a high level in the Big 12.

"Yeah absolutely we got to get bigger, Satterfield stated. "As you go down the stretch against the best teams… you look out there and see the length they have. Our guys are not as big and by the end of the season you get broke down trying to tackle big backs. The bigger you are the more durable you can be."

Satterfield went on to mention the needs will also be a priority when the transfer portal opens.

Overall:

Cincinnati’s 2026 class looks like a true reflection of a program that finally has its infrastructure, identity, and recruiting operation aligned. Satterfield focused on building a developmental, physical roster with length and competitiveness at every level, and Grant’s assessment reinforced that vision with a personnel lens. Grant made it clear this class wasn’t just about finding athletes — it was the product of a multi-year evaluation system, a deep support staff, and upgraded facilities that are now allowing Cincinnati to win recruiting battles it previously couldn’t. He sees this group as the strongest they’ve signed because it checks every trait the staff prioritizes: size in the trenches, explosive playmaking, multi-sport toughness, and the kind of football character they believe can elevate the program through Big 12 competition. Combined with an evolving foothold in Ohio and a higher hit rate on head-to-head battles nationally, this class feels like a turning point — a roster built not on hope, but on a coherent plan shared from the head coach through the entire personnel department.

The next step is to get the players on campus and see how the fit and style truly line up with the final on-field product.