Five Players to Watch in UC's 2022 Spring Game

Cincinnati is trying to reload—not rebuild—in 2022.

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati football returns to play in front of fans at Nippert Stadium this Saturday, with plenty of question marks at key positions. Nothing will be completely set in stone at these unknown spots by Spring Game performances this weekend, but a good showing could go a long way towards earning consistent playing time in the fall.

Let's take a look at five players to watch.

QB — Ben Bryant

Early signs and his return, in general, indicate Ben Bryant has a slight edge in the quarterback battle against Evan Prater, and the two can really make statements on Saturday. Bryant has desperation on his side as he tries to avoid a fourth college season attempting fewer than 30 passes.

The 6-foot-3, 214-pound passer had plenty of opportunities last season at Eastern Michigan and didn't exactly dominate in the worst conference in America. Bryant attempted the second-most passes in the MAC last season (408) and had a league-leading 68.4% completion rate, but finished just eighth in passing TDs (14) and tossed the third-most interceptions (7).

Bryant earning a year of starting experience shouldn't matter at all considering who he played. The MAC had an average SP+ ranking of -6.8. For context, only three conferences in the country had a negative SP+ average, with the Sun Belt (-4.9), Conference USA (-5.3), and MAC being head and shoulders worse than the rest of the nation. The AAC finished sixth in average SP+ (+0.9).

QB — Evan Prater

Sticking with the QB battle, it's time for Evan Prater to put his stamp on this program, and it can start with a standout performance in the 2022 Spring Game.

The highest-rated Bearcats recruit in the 247Sports era was named Ohio Mr. Football in 2019 before redshirting at Cincinnati in 2020. The objective is simple: Dominate your reps on Saturday and never look back.

That's the best-case scenario for Prater, and this program is the top recruit in team history living up to expectations. Prater lacks Bryant's starting experience, but who's to say Prater wouldn't have performed better than Bryant against MAC-level competition? We don't know because of Prater's limited experience, but that excuse goes out the window in a few days.

It's time for Prater to show why he was the fourth-best quarterback recruit in the country and blow away the crowd on Saturday.

CB — J.Q. Hardaway

An early enrollee, J.Q. Hardaway has put his nose to the grindstone all spring and could be in line for a role in the secondary as the team searches for replacements after losing the country's only pair of All-American cornerbacks.

Hardaway is the second-highest ranked Bearcats recruit in 2022 behind Mario Eugenio. Senior Arquon Bush figures to play outside and in his normal nickel spot throughout the year as Cincinnati's most experienced corner. That leaves three spots up for grabs to the likes of Hardaway, Todd Bumphis, Ja'quan Sheppard, Taj Ward, Sammy Anderson Jr., and Justin Cox.

Hardaway is a long shot to start, but keep an eye on snap counts for all of those names throughout the afternoon. He's already started reshaping his body since enrolling early and wants to shape the secondary to his will as well.

WR — Nick Mardner

Nick Mardner made the long trip over from Hawaii as a graduate transfer, and he's not looking to waste his time in Clifton. At 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, Mardner led Hawaii in receiving yards (913) and touchdowns (five) this past season. That frame helped him finish 2021 ranked tenth nationally in yards per catch (19.8).

Yet, he is fighting for a starting job with names like Jadon Thompson, Tyler Scott, and Tre Tucker. How much Mardner takes over Alec Pierce's role remains to be seen. The lanky target has already shown a willingness to put in extra work after practice with Ben Bryant, and now he has a chance to wow the Nippert Stadium crowd with some big plays down the field.

It will be hard schematically to keep Mardner out of a starting role if he brings that Mountain West production to Nippert. Cincinnati targeted him for a reason—they only have two other receivers 6-foot or taller, and Mardner is by far the biggest at 6-foot-6.

Look for Mardner to treat this game like a veteran with a big opportunity as he begins to edge his way into a starting role come the fall.

LB — Ivan Pace Jr.

The Pace Brothers are reunited in Clifton, but there is still work to do. We know Deshawn will be a featured piece as the team's returning interception leader (four INTs in 2021), but how much the two will play together should start to cement on Saturday.

Ivan had 60 solo tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception last season for the Miami RedHawks. His pass-rush ability could be the biggest reason he leaps Wilson Huber on the depth chart. According to PFF, Ivan posted a 91.2 pass-rush grade and totaled 19 pressures from 46 rushes. He paired that with an 88.6 coverage grade and 78.7 run-defense grade.

Production like that will be very hard to keep away from starting snaps. Cincinnati has a trio of redshirt linebackers that have waited their turn in Jaheim Thomas, Huber, and Ty Van Fossen. How the playing time shakes out in the second level is another great reason to come out and watch the team for free on Saturday.

The 2022 Spring Game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET

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