Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame football: Cincinnati could spell trouble for the Irish

By Daniel Morrison

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: A general view of the Cincinnati Bearcats taking the field ahead of a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: A general view of the Cincinnati Bearcats taking the field ahead of a game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 07: Justin Harris #4 of the Cincinnati Bearcats and Coby Bryant #7 of the Cincinnati Bearcats celebrate during the second half against the Houston Cougars at Nippert Stadium on November 7, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 07: Justin Harris #4 of the Cincinnati Bearcats and Coby Bryant #7 of the Cincinnati Bearcats celebrate during the second half against the Houston Cougars at Nippert Stadium on November 7, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame football 2021 Opponent Preview: Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s Defense

There is a little bit more turnover on the defensive side of the ball for Cincinnati, as they are bringing in a new coordinator to replace Marcus Freeman. Fickell went about as Ohio an option as possible, Mike Tressel.

In action, this won’t change much of what they do from Notre Dame under Freeman up, at least not much. After all, if you’re Fickell and Cincinnati, why change what works? The wrinkle Tressel wants to bring in is last-second adjustments to match the offense, and so the offense can’t adjust itself.

He’ll have a solid roster to implement this with too. The front seven is tough and strong. Myjai Sanders is an excellent defensive end, with a ton of experience, who is going to live in the backfield. There’s potential across the defensive line, though, with Curtis Brooks, Marcus Brown, and Malik Vann.

Meanwhile, the linebacker position is incredibly deep, with 5th-year seniors Darrian Beavers and Joel Dublanko, along with a mess of rotational options.

The secondary is having some turnover, but they’ll still be the strength of the defense. Coby Bryant and Ahmad Gardner are lockdown corners, and while they need to replace James Wiggins at safety, this shouldn’t be difficult with how the Bearcats recruit the position.

Home/Notre Dame Football