“I love this place. We can get this team back to where it was a few years ago.” That’s what Brendan Sorsby said per Heartland College Sports. That bold statement came after Cincinnati’s season-ending 20-13 loss to TCU last season. That’s not just a frustrated QB’s quote, either. It came from a guy who watched a 5-2 start spiral into a 5-7 crash-and-burn. A guy who lived the sting of five straight losses. And just like that, he made it clear that he’s not bolting. Rather, he’s back to complete unfinished business in the Queen City. 

Now, two days into Higher Ground Training Camp, Brendan Sorsby is no longer nursing regrets. The Indiana transfer is leading the charge with a new group of wide receivers, renewed energy, and a chip on his shoulder. “We were really close last year, too,”  he told BearcatJournal on July 29 on Day 2 of fall camp. “We were in a lot of one-score games. And we also cost ourselves a lot of games last year. Shot ourselves in the foot. So, we know that we can win games, and we know that we got a really talented group. So, it’s just up to us now to go and do it.” The potential is there, and the numbers and hype back it up. 

In 2024, Brendan Sorsby was one of only three FBS QBs to throw for 2,500+ yards and 15 TDs. He finished the season with 18 passing TDs, nine rushing TDs, and 2,813 yards through the air at a 64% clip. He also added 447 rushing yards and a monster 426-yard passing game against Texas Tech, paired with a 143-yard ground performance against Iowa State. And even though Cincinnati became a 5-win team, the scouts recognize the QB upside. It’s no wonder he was ranked at No. 20 on The Athletic’s list of FBS QBs. “Very talented thrower, NFL arm, one of the best in the country,” a former Power 4 scouting director stated. So what changed? Everything and nothing. 

Brendan Sorsby’s still got the same cannon. But now he’s got weapons. Cincinnati brought in five new receivers from the portal, including Isaiah Johnson (Western Carolina) and Cyrus Allen (Texas A&M). That’s a big jump in speed and spacing, exactly what the QB needs. “I’ve been putting in extra work with those guys,” he said. “So I know the chemistry is there. When we do miss something in practice, we go through it in film together, or we’ll text about it at night to get it corrected. I trust them, and they trust me.”

That trust will be tested early. The Bearcats will open the 2025 season at Arrowhead Stadium against Nebraska on August 28. National TV. But don’t forget about the run game.

Brendan Sorsby has elite running support, too 

During his media appearance after Day 1 of Cincinnati’s fall camp, HC Scott Satterfield provided an injury update on their star RB Evan Pryor. “At toward the end of summer had some nagging thing like lower body, hamstring growing type area,” he said. “So he’s not full goat yet obviously, I think as we go through camp over the next few days, he’ll work his way into full go.” And if he’s healthy, that’s trouble for opponents. He flashed last year with 418 yards and 6 touchdowns, averaging 7.5 yards a pop. He started the spring game and thrives outside the tackles.

Meanwhile, Tawee Walker, a Wisconsin transfer, brings downhill thunder and Big Ten experience with action against Nebraska last season. He’s no stranger to the Cornhuskers. He ran against them last year, and that familiarity could be key. The RB duo could be the one-two punch Cincy needs. 

If Pryor and Walker get rolling early, it opens up the play-action game, and that’s where Sorsby’s deep ball turns deadly. Cincinnati’s passing game might just find enough breathing room to click and avoid the kind of sluggish starts that haunted them in 2024. And then there’s vets like OL Gavin Gerhardt, who brings more promise. Two years of bowl absences have tested Bearcat fans’ patience. But Brendan Sorsby is not talking about climbing back; he’s charging.