Ad Disclosure
Cincinnati reportedly decides on starting QB for Arkansas game
By Corey Long
Published:
Cincinnati will go with senior Ben Bryant at quarterback over former top 300 recruit Evan Prater for Saturday’s season opener against Arkansas.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel has the report.
Sources: Cincinnati will start redshirt senior Ben Bryant at quarterback today against Arkansas. The redshirt senior threw for more more than 3,000 yards at Eastern Michigan last year before transferring back to Cincinnati, where he backed up Desmond Ridder for three years.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 3, 2022
As reported, Bryant used the transfer portal as a college football version of the “G League” or however players get loaned around in European soccer. He spent three years backing up Desmond Ridder before transferring to the Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference. Bryant completed over 68 percent of his passes for 3,212 yards and 14 touchdowns with the Eagles.
With Ridder out of the picture (a third-round draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons) and Bryant getting some much needed starters reps at Eastern Michigan, he transferred back to Cincinnati and will lead the Bearcats on the road against their SEC opponent.
I’m curious about your thoughts on Bryant’s journey and the way he used the transfer portal. It seems to have worked out for him as planned. It didn’t hurt the Bearcats, they went 13-1 last season and made the playoff, and Eastern Michigan got a capable quarterback for a season. Everyone involved benefitted from the move in a sense. Is this a good way to use the portal? And if this was strategically done, is this a sound strategy?
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
