Former Cincinnati quarterback commits to Northwestern

Former Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant committed to Northwestern on Wednesday.

A former three-star recruit out of La Grange, Illinois, Bryant initially chose Cincinnati over offers from Wisconsin, Georgia, Ole Miss, West Virginia and Temple, among others (according to 247Sports). He joined a Cincinnati 2018 recruiting class that ranked 49th in the country and featured a four-star recruit in tight end Leonard Taylor.

The senior quarterback threw for just over 2,700 yards in 2022 after posting more than 3,100 the year during the 2021-22 campaign. The 6-foot-3-inch quarterback played in 35 total games during his college career. He played in 11 games with the Bearcats last season, including a season-high 354-yard day in a win against the Indiana Hoosiers in September. 

Bryant threw for 314 first-half passing yards against the Hoosiers, the most by a Bearcats quarterback since Gunner Kiel had 302 by the half against the Houston Cougars in 2015, according to the Detroit News. 

"I'm really nit-picky on myself and the offense," Bryant said, via the Detroit News. "We preach starting strong, but we have to get better."

Now heading to Northwestern, Bryant will provide a solid veteran presence for a team that went 1-11 overall (1-8 in conference). The Wildcats will need all the help they can get when they face a Big Ten West division with two newly hired head coaches in Nebraska's Matt Rhule and Wisconsin's Luke Fickell (himself formerly of Cincinnati). 

The Wildcats last made a bowl game during the 2020 season, when former Peyton Ramsey earned 291 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 35-19 win over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl.

Bryant will have to prove he can be a starting option in Evanston as his new program tries for a little Big Ten West contention. He will also have to provide a level of stability to a quarterback room that saw five signal-callers take snaps last season, according to The Athletic. Sophomore quarterback Brendan Sullivan — who played in five games last year — was considered the most likely first-team option for Northwestern throughout spring practice.