Big 12 Media Day Recap: Everything Scott Satterfield Said

Scott Satterfield arrived at Big 12 Football Media Days with a different tone than in previous years.

After three seasons of building Cincinnati through one of the most difficult transitions in college football—from Group of Five powerhouse to Power Four program—the Bearcats head coach believes the foundation is finally in place. The expectations inside the program have grown, the roster is deeper, the facilities are among the nation's best, and Cincinnati has assembled what Satterfield believes is its most complete team since arriving in Clifton.

Throughout his media session, Satterfield touched on nearly every aspect of the program, from roster construction and offensive philosophy to defensive changes, leadership, recruiting and the challenges awaiting the Bearcats in Year 4 of the Big 12.

His message remained consistent from beginning to end: Cincinnati has the pieces to take the next step.

Year 4 in the Big 12 is about turning progress into results

Satterfield opened by reflecting on the program's steady improvement since joining the Big 12, going from 3-9 in year one to 7-5 and a bowl game appearance last season.

"We've been improving our record every year," he said.

The transition into one of college football's deepest conferences has required patience, but Satterfield believes those growing pains have prepared Cincinnati for what's ahead. With a veteran roster, upgraded facilities and a coaching staff that better understands the week-to-week demands of the league, he believes the Bearcats are positioned to compete at a much higher level.

"This is a great league," Satterfield said. "Great coaches, great players, very competitive."

Building chemistry has become as important as installing the playbook

While X's and O's always dominate preseason discussions, Satterfield repeatedly emphasized that team chemistry has become one of the biggest challenges in modern college football.

Cincinnati added 46 new players this offseason, forcing the coaching staff to do much more than teach schemes.

"We had a really good spring practice," Satterfield said. "It's been a great summer... they're very competitive in everything that they're doing."

Today's offseason, he explained, is about turning dozens of newcomers into one football team before the season begins.

"You have to gel and you have to become a team... you're getting ready to go to battle when September hits."

That process extends beyond football. The staff spends months helping players build relationships, establish leadership and develop trust while simultaneously installing offensive, defensive and special teams systems.

Satterfield believes the Bearcats have accomplished that.

The offseason focus has been creating a connected locker room capable of handling the adversity that inevitably comes during a Big 12 season.

Staying on campus for fall camp reflects Cincinnati's evolution

One of the biggest offseason changes is Cincinnati's decision to move away from its long-standing tradition of holding preseason camp at Higher Ground.

Instead, the Bearcats will remain on campus, a move Satterfield says is made possible by the new Indoor Practice Facility.

"The recovery aspect is such a huge part of that," he said.

Satterfield highlighted the facility's hot tubs, cold tubs, sauna, steam room and recovery technology as major advantages during the physically demanding weeks of camp.

"This building is so nice... I think for us to be able to utilize that all through camp to get ready for a season will be huge for us."

While acknowledging the memories and tradition associated with Higher Ground, Satterfield believes Cincinnati's investment in player development and recovery makes staying home the better long-term decision. The Bearcats will still practice outdoors and spend time inside Nippert Stadium throughout camp.

The offensive line may be one of the best in America

If there was one position group Satterfield repeatedly praised, it was the offensive line.

The Bearcats return one of the nation's most accomplished units, anchored by preseason All-Big 12 selections Joe Cotton and Evan Tengesdahl.

The recognition is well deserved.

Tengesdahl earned multiple Preseason All-America honors after posting an 82.8 Pro Football Focus grade in 2025—the highest among all Big 12 guards and sixth nationally at his position. He helped Cincinnati become a Joe Moore Award semifinalist, recognizing the nation's top offensive line.

Cotton enters the season after earning All-Big 12 honors in his first year with the Bearcats. Even more impressive, he did not allow a single sack all season.

Together with returning starter Taran Tyo, the trio anchors what could legitimately be one of the country's premier offensive lines.

Last season Cincinnati allowed only eight sacks and 43 tackles for loss, both the fewest among Power Four programs, while averaging 5.7 rushing yards per carry—third best nationally.

Satterfield believes the unit's experience extends beyond statistics. Its leadership sets the tone for the entire offense. Rather than shifting veterans to new positions, Cincinnati plans to keep everyone where they are most comfortable while rotating quality depth throughout games. Satterfield also praised Redshirt Junior Xavier Lozowicki and Redshirt Senior Judea Milon for giving the Bearcats more flexibility than they've had in previous seasons.

Redshirt Sophomores Aiden Pastoriza and Zac Clarke are also expected to be in the mix to compete for one of the open starting spots on the right size of the line.

JC French has already earned the locker room

Replacing a starting quarterback like Brendan Sorsby is never easy, but Satterfield believes Georgia Southern transfer JC French has quickly become one of the team's biggest strengths.

The evaluation, he said, went far beyond French's production.

The coaching staff valued his maturity, leadership, football intelligence and familiarity with the offensive concepts Cincinnati wants to run while evaluating him during the recruiting process in the transfer portal.

"He rose to the top."

French separated himself during spring practice and has continued building trust throughout the offseason.

"He's already taken a leadership role... he's won the locker room," Satterfield explained.

Satterfield praised virtually every aspect of French's game:

• Accuracy

• Decision making

• Deep-ball touch

• Mobility

• Competitive nature

• Growing leadership

"He's come in very humble but very competitive. He throws a beautiful ball," Satterfield said.

Later in the session, Satterfield smiled when told French had compared his own game to Baker Mayfield.

"That's a pretty good comparison."

He pointed to the similarities in size, quick release and production while noting French flew under the radar during the transfer portal cycle.

"I think he could be a really, really good quarterback in this league."

Cincinnati's offense will adapt to its personnel

Although the offensive line and French headlines the offense, Satterfield made it clear Cincinnati won't force a rigid offensive identity.

Instead, the scheme will evolve around the players.

"It'll be what the guys can do and what they're good at."

He defended last season's offensive production, noting the Bearcats ranked among the nation's leaders in yards per play, rushing efficiency and pass protection.

From his perspective, the offense wasn't the primary issue. The defense simply didn't create enough extra possessions.

"We had two interceptions all season... we have to create turnovers. We have to get the ball back."

With more takeaways, Satterfield believes the offense naturally receives additional scoring opportunities.

He also expressed confidence in Cincinnati's running back room.

Among the players he highlighted were Zion Johnson, Notre Dame transfer Gi'Bran Payne, and Stanford transfer Cole Tabb.

"G. Payne surprised me as much as anybody this spring," Satterfield said.

The receiver room is deeper than it's ever been. When asked about Jeff Caldwell and Cyrus Allen, who are both now with the Kansas City Chiefs, Satterfield noted replacing Cyrus Allen's production won't fall on one player.

Instead, Satterfield believes Cincinnati finally has enough depth to rotate seven or eight wide receivers throughout games.

Among those he mentioned were JV Gibson, Cade Wolford, Gio Kontosis, Isaiah Johnson, Elijah Jones and South Dakota transfer Larenzo Fenner, who was a big win out of the transfer portal.

Satterfield compared Gibson's development to Allen's path after transferring from a smaller school.

Gibson's rare combination of size and speed also caught the coaching staff's attention.

The highest praise came for redshirt sophomore Gio Kontosis.

"Gio is just a dog," Satterfield said. "He's got a linebacker's mentality playing wide receiver."

Ultimately, Satterfield expects preseason camp to determine the rotation based strictly on production.

Tight end has quietly become one of Cincinnati's deepest positions

Joe Royer's departure leaves a leadership void, but Satterfield isn't worried about replacing production.

Instead, he praised the overall depth of the room, calling it the strongest tight end group since he arrived at Cincinnati.

He specifically mentioned Gavin Grover, Ka'Maurri Smith and Devin Zahursky as players capable of contributing.

"From top to bottom, the best tight end room we've had since we've been here."

Nate Woody is changing Cincinnati's defensive identity

The most significant offseason coaching move came on defense.

Former Army assistant Nate Woody takes over as defensive coordinator after previously working with Satterfield for five seasons at Appalachian State.

Satterfield expects Woody's defense to look dramatically different.

"It's going to be a little bit more pressures... mixing up the coverages... we want to be a more aggressive defense and we want to create havoc."

The Bearcats are transitioning toward a more aggressive 3-4 structure featuring disguised coverages, frequent pressure packages, slants, movement and linebacker blitzes from multiple angles.

"It's going to be a completely different look than what we've had the last two years."

Satterfield believes modern offenses require constant adjustment.

"You can't just sit in the same defense and think you're going to have great success."

Creating turnovers is the biggest priority. More than any statistic, Satterfield repeatedly returned to one issue.

Turnovers.

"We were not very good at creating turnovers... we've got to get more of that."

He believes generating takeaways is the single biggest factor separating Cincinnati from becoming a contender.

More interceptions and forced fumbles create shorter fields, additional possessions and ultimately more points. Improving that area has shaped nearly every defensive change made this offseason. With the change in the scheme, the linebackers could become the strength of the defense, despite losing second round draft pick Jake Golday.

Satterfield believes Woody's system better fits Cincinnati's personnel, particularly at linebacker.

He singled out Jonathan Thompson, Simeon Coleman and transfer Filip Maciorowski as players positioned for breakout seasons.

Jonathan Thompson, he said, may have had the best spring on the roster.

"JT could have an outstanding year."

Coleman was described simply.

"He's a head hunter."

The aggressive downhill style should allow both players to play faster while creating more disruptive plays.

Antwan Peek Jr's move closer to the football

One player expected to benefit significantly from the new defense is Antwan Peek Jr.

After finishing his redshirt junior season as the Big 12's top rated safety, according to PFF (85.0), Peek has prioritized adding weight this offseason to 225 lbs to help with his new role in Woody's defense., JPeek will transition into Cincinnati's "Cat" position, allowing him to play closer to the line of scrimmage.

"Getting him closer to the ball gets him more opportunity to make plays."

Satterfield praised Peek's instincts, football intelligence, work ethic and knack for forcing fumbles while noting he'll continue contributing heavily on special teams.

Off the field, Peek represents everything Cincinnati hopes its program stands for.

The Cincinnati native arrived as a walk-on, earned a scholarship and now represents the Bearcats at Big 12 Media Days.

"What a great story of perseverance," Satterfield said. "He bleeds Cincinnati."

Peekis expected to serve as one of Cincinnati's team captains this season.

Development remains the program's foundation

Satterfield pointed to offensive lineman Evan Tengesdahl's growth as proof that local players can stay home and still develop into elite talent.

After arriving as a hometown recruit and redshirting as a freshman, Tengesdahl has developed into an All-American and NFL prospect.

"You can come to Cincinnati... get trained and developed and become all you want to be," Satterfield explained.

That philosophy continues to shape Cincinnati's recruiting efforts.

Coaching Continuity

Although Woody headlines several staff changes, Satterfield likes the balance between continuity and fresh ideas.

The offense remains largely familiar while new assistants refine concepts around the current roster.

Defensively, Woody introduces an entirely new philosophy.

Special teams, meanwhile, returns virtually intact, including second year coach Luke Paschall.

"Our special teams elevated a lot of play last year."

He joked:

"People don't want to hear about specialists, but they're people too."

The Bearcats return kicker Stephen Rusnak, punter Max Fletcher, and long snapper Eli Stein.

November will define Cincinnati's season

With the schedule opening with four games in Cincinnati to behin the season, the Bearcats won't leave Cincinnati until October. Despite that, Satterfield knows the schedule becomes significantly more difficult late in the year.

Three of four November games come on the road with trips to Houston, Iowa State, and BYU.

"It's hard to go on the road in this league and win."

Because of that, he stressed the importance of capitalizing on four early home games.

"In the month of September, we've got to play great football."

He also acknowledged the season opener against Boston College presents an immediate challenge.

Week 1, he noted, is always unpredictable because every team introduces new players, coaches and schematic wrinkles.

Unlike last season's narrow opening loss at Nebraska, Satterfield wants Cincinnati to begin building momentum immediately.

Satterfield also defended the importance of regional rivalries, specifically mentioning Miami (Ohio), West Virginia and future meetings with Michigan State.

He believes those games benefit players, fans and recruiting alike.

"The regional rivalries are awesome for fans."

The upcoming Miami game, played at TQL Stadium, should create one of the season's most unique atmospheres.

Recruiting advice hasn't changed

Despite NIL and the transfer portal transforming college football, when asked about what he would tell future recruits, Satterfield's advice to high school recruits remains simple.

"Be coachable."

He believes work ethic continues to separate successful players from everyone else.

"You have to work extremely hard. Trust the coaching. Stack productive days. Embrace development."

Those principles, he said, still matter.

When asked how he defines success beyond wins and losses, Satterfield shifted the conversation away from football, noting Cincinnati places significant emphasis on preparing players to become good fathers, husbands and productive members of society.

The accountability, discipline and teamwork learned inside the football program, he believes, extend far beyond Saturdays.

Final Thoughts

If there was one theme that defined Scott Satterfield's appearance at Big 12 Media Days, it was confidence—not overconfidence, but belief that Cincinnati has finally reached the point where it can legitimately compete near the top of the conference.

The Bearcats return one of the nation's premier offensive lines led by preseason All-Big 12 selections Joe Cotton and Evan Tengesdahl. They believe JC French has already emerged as the leader of the offense. The receiving corps, tight ends and running backs provide more depth than at any point under Satterfield, while Nate Woody's aggressive defensive philosophy is designed to address the program's biggest weakness: creating turnovers.

From player development and locker-room chemistry to upgraded facilities and coaching continuity, Satterfield painted the picture of a program that has moved beyond simply adjusting to life in the Big 12.

Now, the expectation inside the building is to contend.

Whether Cincinnati reaches that goal will likely depend on how quickly the new-look defense creates takeaways, how efficiently French settles into the offense and whether the Bearcats can navigate a demanding November schedule.

But after three years of laying the groundwork, Satterfield made one thing clear in Frisco: Cincinnati believes its breakthrough season is within reach.