Every football team has an identity.
Sometimes it reveals itself immediately. Sometimes it takes a month before everyone realizes what that team actually is. I don't think it'll take that long for Cincinnati.
The Bearcats enter 2026 with an offense full of intriguing pieces. JC French brings experience at quarterback, the offensive line returns one of the conference's better groups and there are plenty of new faces at the skill positions ready to make an impact. But asking all of those pieces to immediately click in September feels unrealistic, particularly because we don't know what Cincinnati has in JC French.
That's why I believe Cincinnati's defense must carry this football team early in the season. Fortunately, it appears capable of doing exactly that.
Scott Satterfield made one of the biggest offseason changes in the Big 12 by hiring Nate Woody to coordinate the defense, bringing with him an aggressive 3-4 scheme built around pressure, disguises and forcing turnovers. It's a philosophical shift from what Cincinnati has run in recent years, but it's also one that better fits the personnel assembled through the transfer portal.
The Bearcats desperately needed that change. Last season's defense simply didn't create enough negative plays. Quarterbacks were too comfortable and opposing offenses rarely felt rushed. And on top of that, takeaways were few and far between.
For a program that built its national reputation on hard-nosed defense, Cincinnati looked far too ordinary and at times soft. But, that should change.
Jonathan Thompson returns after leading the team in tackles, while Antwan Peek Jr. moves into a hybrid role that should allow him to do what he does best—attack the football. Around them, Cincinnati added an experienced group of transfers that may lack chemistry today, but certainly doesn't lack college experience.
That chemistry is the biggest question. Schemes can be taught and talent can be acquired. But trust takes time. That's why I think the first three or four games will be so important.
If this defense comes together quickly, it'll give the offense time to settle in under a new quarterback and allow the Bearcats to enter Big 12 play with confidence. If it doesn't, Cincinnati may find itself asking the offense to win games before it's ready.
The good news is that everything coming out of camp points to a defense that's playing faster, communicating better and embracing Woody's aggressive style. Now it's time to see it against someone wearing a different jersey.
That said, the offense will have its moments this fall, too. Some Saturdays it'll carry Cincinnati. But if the Bearcats are going to exceed expectations in 2026, I think the blueprint is pretty simple.
Let the defense set the tone and let the offense grow into the season. And if that happens, by October Cincinnati may have the complete football team it believes it's capable of becoming.