Cincinnati Bearcats add 21 high school players for 2024 football season

On college football's Early Signing Day, Coach Scott Satterfield and the University of Cincinnati Bearcat coaching staff collected 21 signatures on national letters of intent Wednesday in addition to the eight players recently picked up through the NCAA transfer portal.

Six come from Georgia, five from Ohio, two from Pennsylvania, two from Maryland and one each from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and South Carolina. Ten will be early enrollees.

January enrollees

Dakarai Anderson – Anderson is a 5-foot-9, 185-pound wide receiver from Perry, Georgia who is a three-star recruit and one of Georgia's Top 110 prospects according to On3, 247Sports and ESPN. He caught 87 passes for 1,263 yards and four scores to win Georgia 4A Region 2 Player of the Year honors.

Simeon Coleman – Coleman is a 6-foot, 227-pound linebacker who is a three-star recruit and among Maryland's Top 30 prospects for the 2024 class. Among his other offers were Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State, Maryland, Ole Miss and Michigan State.

"The film on him, man he's taking heads off!" Satterfield said. "Some of it looks illegal he's hitting them so hard. I saw helmets flying and stuff. Something switches when he puts the pads on and goes on the field. I love how physical he is."

Gavin Grover – Grover is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end who played for Lewis Center Olentangy. He is a three-star recruit and a top-40 player in Ohio. Grover is ranked as ESPN's 15th-ranked tight end of the 2024 class. He had 63 catches for 853 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior year. Among his other offers were Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Michigan State, Iowa State and Indiana State.

Willie Goodwyn –Goodwyn is a 6-foot-1, 175-pound cornerback who is a three-star recruit and a Top 100 cornerback prospect. The two-way player had 14 touchdowns along with five interceptions and a forced fumble. Among his other offers were East Carolina and Georgia Tech.

Zaravion Johnson – Johnson is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound corner from South Carolina who was a Top 25 prospect in his class and a Top 100 cornerback prospect by ESPN. Among his other offers were Virginia and Liberty.

Samaj Jones – Jones is a 6-foot-1, 218-pound quarterback from Philadelphia and a four-star recruit. He was ESPN's No. 5 dual-threat quarterback. He led St. Joseph's Prep to a second-straight Pennsylvania 6A championship. Jones passed for 5,725 yards and 64 touchdowns in his career. He chose UC over Oklahoma, Louisville, Penn State, and West Virginia among others.

"What sold us in camp was the ball jumped off his hand," Satterfield said. "I think in the state championship game he was 14-for-17 for a couple touchdowns and he rushed for 125 and a few more touchdowns. He's that kind of dual-threat that we like. We love the versatility and the playmaking ability."

Jiquan Sanks – The 6-foot, 175-pounder from Alabama would play the STAR position at UC but was ranked ESPN's No. 105 cornerback prospect. Among the other offers for the three-star recruit were Boston College, Georgia Tech, Indiana and Houston.

"He can make all the calls, direct people, a very smart football player," Satterfield said. "He'll stick his head in there and make some great tackles. I love his leadership."

Jake Wheelock – Wheelock is a 6-foot-6, 275-pound offensive lineman from Dayton Stebbins. He is a three-star recruit and a top 50 Ohio player. ESPN ranked him as Ohio's 19th-best recruit. Among his other offers were Duke and Virginia Tech.

Kale Woodburn – Woodburn is a 5-foot-10, 165-pound wide receiver from Warner Robins, Georgia who is a three-star recruit. He had 67 catches for 1,044 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior and added 49 catches for 625 yards and five scores as a senior. Among his other offers were Penn State, Virgina Tech and Wake Forest.

Devyn Zahursky – Zahursky is a 6-foot-5, 245-pound three-star recruit from Berea Midpark High School. He was Ohio Division I Second Team All-State. Among the tight end's other offers were Pitt, Indiana and Rutgers.

"Gavin Grover and Zahursky at tight end, those are Big 12 looking like tight ends that have great size with great hands and soft hands," Satterfield said.

June enrollees

Lendric Barber – Barber is a 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive lineman who is a three-star recruit and ranked the No. 87 best defensive tackle by ESPN. Among his other offers were Georgia Tech.

Garrison Butler –The 6-foot-1, 280-pound defensive lineman from Jacksonville, Florida is a three-star recruit and among the Top 50 defensive line recruits according to ESPN. Among his other offers were North Carolina State, Oregon State and Pitt.

Jakorion Caffey – Caffey is a 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back from Avon where he was a three-star recruit and Top 50 Ohio prospect. He is Avon's all-time rushing leader with 4,463 yards. Among his other offers were Indiana, Maryland and Pitt.

Zac Clarke – The 6-foot-6, 270-pound offensive lineman is a three-star recruit and a Top 40 prospect in Illinois. He has an 81-inch wingspan.

Daniel James – James is a 5-foot-11, 190-pound cornerback who is a four-star recruit and ranked as the nation's No. 18 corner by 247Sports. In track he ran an 11.09 in the 100 meters, 14.78 in the 110 hurdles and 40.77 in the 300 hurdles.

"You take that athleticism and with his size and the way he can move and flip his hips, we feel he's a really good player that has versatility," Satterfield said.

Elijah Jones – Jones is a 5-foot-11, 191-pound receiver from St. Joseph's Prep where he had 30 catches for 432 yards and seven touchdowns. He remains a teammate of Samaj Jones and is a three-star recruit and a Top 50 player in Pennsylvania. Among his other offers were Pitt, Boston College and Duke.

Marquaze Parker – Parker is a 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive end from West Memphis, Arkansas where he was a three-star prospect and Top 15 recruit in Arkansas. Among his other offers were Memphis and UNLV.

"He's got great size and quick twitch," Satterfield said. "He came to camp for us last year and put on a show. He got coached hard by Coach Stew (Walter Stewart). At that size, being able to move like he does, we're excited about getting him."

Aiden Pastoriza –The 6-foot-7, 265-pound offensive lineman is a three-star recruit and a top 25 recruit in Michigan. Among his other offers were Northwestern and Air Force.

Quinton Price – Taft High's Price is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound three-star recruit ranked among ESPN's Top 100 safety prospects. Among his other offers were Kentucky, West Virginia and Syracuse.

Marquavious Saboor – The 6-foot, 174-pound safety from Georgia is a three-star recruit and ranked among the nation's Top 100 safeties by On 3, 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals. He had 63 tackles, five tackles for loss, four interceptions and a pair of punt return touchdowns as a senior. Among his other offers were Arkansas and Boston College.

Montay Weedon – Weedon is a 6-foot-1, 215-pound linebacker from Maryland who is a three-star recruit and among the Top 100 linebacker prospects in the country. Among his other offers were Virginia Tech, Florida State, Tennessee, Ole Miss and Texas.

Mid-year transfers

Ormanie Arnold – 5-foot-10, 175-pound cornerback formerly of Idaho.

Mikah Coleman – 6-foot-5, 253-pound defensive end formerly of Eastern Michigan.

George Gumbs Jr. – 6-foot-4, 242-pound defensive end formerly of Northern Illinois.

"His best football is ahead of him," Satterfield said. "He has great twitch and length and speed coming off the edge. He has a motor too. He doesn't stop!"

Tony Johnson – 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver formerly of Florida Atlantic.

Jayden Perry – 6-foot-4, 225-pound long snapper formerly of Indiana State.

Evan Pryor – 5-foot-11, 198-pound running back formerly of Ohio State.

"If you go back and watch Evan's high school stuff, it's tremendous," Satterfield said. "He was one of the best backs in the country coming out. He'll be a great addition to go along with Corey (Kiner)."

Brendan Sorsby – 6-foot-3, 230-pound quarterback formerly of Indiana.

"We like the fact that he's a big player," Satterfield said. "He's not easily swayed in the pocket. He's going to make those throws that you need to make down the field. He also shows ability to get out of trouble and run the football. He's a powerful runner that can get first downs and touchdowns."

Kye Stokes – 6-foot-1, 195-pound safety formerly of Ohio State.

"We need help in the secondary and one of the reasons he wanted to come and be a part of this is he knows he's got an opportunity," Satterfield said.

Of the new players, none get cleared without the blessing of the Bearcat leaders that have stayed like Dontay Corleone, Corey Kiner, Gavin Gerhardt, Luke Kandra and Mason Fletcher.

"They sign off," Satterfield confirmed. "We're not taking any of these guys unless they say yes, they're one of us."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bearcats get 21 new signees from high school for 2024