Two years after Cincinnati Bearcats walked into Big 12 Media Days as the new kid on the block, UC are now fully settled—and ready to push chips into the middle of the table. With head coach Scott Satterfield and the program projected to earn up to $42 million in Big 12 revenue, the expectation isn’t just improvement—it’s payback. 39 new players, including 21 transfers and a wave of young freshmen, ample of reasons to be positive. It’s go time now. Still, the biggest reason for optimism remains their oldie.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel didn’t mince words on College GameDay. When asked to identify a sleeper team this year, he went straight for the Cincinnati Bearcats. “I’m going to go with Cincinnati,” Thamel said. “I am a big fan of their quarterback, Brendan Sorsby.” That’s not just media puff either. According to Thamel, “The NFL people really sneaky like” Brendan Sorsby—he’s already on draft radars. The hype is fueled by the belief that Cincinnati finally has the tools to unlock him. As Thamel added, “They were a good receiver set away from being a 10-win team.”

Scott Satterfield didn’t hide the issues from last year either. “Our best receiver last year ran a 4.79,” he told Thamel during media days. “He was horribly slow, and we just couldn’t get open the last half of the season.” That brutal honesty may sting, but it highlights how low the bar was in terms of playmakers. To fix it, UC brought in 6’5″, 220-pound Jeff Caldwell from Lindenwood—an explosive late bloomer who grew nearly a foot since high school. “If [Caldwell] is a third of what they’re saying… I think he’s going to fly,” Thamel said. With better separation and more weapons, this could be the offensive leap Bearcat fans have been craving.

And it’s not just about new blood. Cincinnati returns the core of its locker room leadership. Dontay Corleone, the disruptive nose tackle nicknamed “The Godfather,” is healthy again. TE Joe Royer passed on the NFL to return. Center Gavin Gerhardt is back anchoring an O-line that he believes he can play behind at its best. That’s not just chemistry—that’s continuity. And for Brendan Sorsby, that matters. After a season where he threw for 2,813 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 447 yards and nine more scores, he now carries consistency throughout the offensive staff and scheme. This is the platform year for his development.

Even with that resume, Brendan Sorsby is somehow flying under the radar. A recent poll ranked him No. 9 among Big 12 QBs—something that doesn’t sit right with many inside the program. But that chip-on-the-shoulder mindset may serve him well. As Thamel noted, “There’s like a half a dozen, six or seven guys who the NFL already has tabbed as draft picks,” and Sorsby is one of them. That opportunity isn’t just theoretical. It gets real, fast. Cincinnati opens the season at Arrowhead Stadium against Nebraska (August 28). With five-star sophomore Dylan Raiola engaging all eyes to the Cornhuskers, few gazes will be on the other sideline, too. For Sorsby, that’s the spotlight moment.

Why Cincinnati’s QB1 Brendan Sorsby isn’t going anywhere

In today’s transfer portal era, sticking around is almost the exception. But Cinci QB Brendan Sorsby is betting big on staying put—and even bigger on what this 2025 Bearcats team can become. While plenty of programs tried to poach him this offseason, Sorsby never flinched. He unpacked that loyalty live on ESPNU during Big 12 Media Days with the kind of poise that screams QB1.

“I don’t want to be known as the guy that’s just bouncing around place to place,” Sorsby said. “I want to be the reason that we’re here in Dallas. I love Cincinnati.” That’s not just lip service. This is a man who believes in the locker room, the system, and the shot at real hardware. “We started out really hot, we beat some really good teams, and we lost some close ones to some really good teams,” he added. “And I know that this team could be special.”

It’s a perfect fit, too. “I knew that the system fits me. I can run a little bit. I like to think so, obviously, Coach Satt likes to run the quarterback,” Sorsby said, leaning into what makes him dangerous. In a Big 12 that’s reloading talent across the board, Sorsby wants to be the engine behind Cincinnati’s resurgence. “I want to be the reason that we’re here in Dallas, playing for a Big 12 Championship and I feel like we have the group of guys that do that.” Don’t count him out. Count on him.