The Cincinnati Bearcats‘ offense was one of the most productive in college football last season in some key areas.
Here was how the Cincinnati offense ranked last season in FBS:
Points per game: 25.2 (No. 89)
Rushing yards per game: 184.1 (No. 36)
Passing yards per game: 236.5 (No. 55)
Total yards per game: 420.6 (No. 36).
The big area of improvement for the Bearcats is scoring. Ranking close to the worst 25% in college football won’t allow them to make a move into the top half of the Big 12 after a 5-7 season.
Here are three offensive players to keep an eye on for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Sorsby transferred in after two seasons at Indiana and put together a solid campaign for the Bearcats in 2024. He was named All-Big 12 newcomer of the year honorable mention and a two-time newcomer of the week.
The dual-threat quarterback threw for 2,813 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while rushing for 447 yards and nine touchdowns. Per the Bearcats, he was the only FBS quarterback to log a 425-yard passing game and a 125-yard rushing game last season. He was one of four quarterbacks in the country to throw for 2,800-plus yards, 18 touchdowns, and rush for nine touchdowns.
He needs to do more for an encore if the Bearcats are to reach a bowl game. He’s working without a returning starter at wide receiver.
With Corey Kiner out the door, it’s up to Pryor to fill his shoes. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for Cincinnati and scored nine touchdowns. He finished his four-year collegiate career with nearly 3,000 yards on the ground.
Pryor was a nice complement to Kiner last season after transferring in from Ohio State, where he played his first three seasons. As a change-of-pace back, Pryor had 622 all-purpose yards, with 418 rushing yards and 181 passing yards. Four of his seven combined touchdowns were for at least 55 yards, so he has big-play ability.
Now, can he handle the full-time rushing load that Kiner did? Whether he is able to will help define the Bearcats’ season offensively.
With no returning starting wide receivers, expect Royer to get a lot of looks from Sorsby, especially to start the season.
He was an all-Big 12 first team pick last year after he had 50 receptions for 521 yards and three touchdowns. He set the Cincinnati single-season receptions record by a tight end, breaking the mark held by some guy named … checks notes. … Travis Kelce, who had 45 catches in 2012. That name sounds familiar.
Royer could be in for a bigger year in 2025 as the redshirt senior works to further impress NFL scouts and earn a spot in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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