Let It Fly Takeaways: Episode Three

The Bearcats have plenty of new coaches and entrenched tight ends to lean on in 2022.

CINCINNATI — Fall camp at Higher Ground is getting set to wind down and with it brings another episode of Let It Fly. The Bearcats docuseries touched on a few new coaches in the fold, the tight end duo, and more this week. 

Here are three takeaways from the latest episode.

Fresh Coaching Faces

UC has new defensive backs and defensive line coaches this season and they got the star treatment on the latest Let It Fly. Kerry Coombs is back leading DBs at UC after holding the role from 2007-11. Every member of the team doesn't get direct coaching from him but they can always feel his presence.

"He is mean, he's tough, and he's nasty," UC center Jake Renfro said. "He's great, he's been awesome for us."

Defensive lineman Jabari Taylor had similar feelings on the other side of the trenches.

"That's a funny guy man—he catches me off guard," Taylor said. "He be looking so serious and then all of a sudden you turn the corner."

Luke Fickell made it clear this is Coombs town, and he should have little trouble continuing the strong momentum Perry Eliano left behind when he went up the road to Ohio State.

New defensive line coach Walt Stewart is trying to make Coombs' job easier by fielding a nasty, veteran front. The young coach was a standout interior defensive presence at Cincinnati from 2008-12.

He racked up 185 tackles and 17.5 sacks across his time in Clifton and was named the team’s most outstanding defensive lineman in 2012. The two-time team captain won four Big East Championships and made four bowl games across his UC career, including the 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl and 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl.

"He actually pulled up his game clips," defensive end Malik Vann said. "I didn't know Coach Stewart as the player, but when you turn it on it was like, he could really ball, and he's a good coach. He's a good guy, he's really relatable to us because he's been in our shoes. He's played in our position."

Fickell noted that Stewart is everything he wants this program to be about: representing the "C-Paw" for life.

"There's no doubt that it resonates with us," Fickell said. "The whole idea of representing the 'C-Paw' for our whole life. Earn it, own it, represent it, and it means so much more when you've got some former players that can get up there and actually speak about it."

Both coaches are huge factors in Cincinnati's reload, which will be felt a little more in the numbers department on defense, even though they are replacing the greatest QB in team history.

Tight End U

UC has produced an impressive amount of NFL tight ends over the last 15 years and the latest tandem is ready to make a big mark in their final season. Josh Whyle and Lenoard Taylor know the lineage well and are ready to get featured in a smashmouth offense this season.

"That's my brother man," Taylor said. "Iron sharpens iron, all the time and we make sure we come out here every day motivated and push each other to be the best that we can be."

Whyle and Taylor have the potential to play at the next level, and can boost that with continued teamwork.

"Me and him (Taylor)," Whyle said. "We talk a lot about in our program healthy competition. I think me and him have a really good understanding of that."

The history isn't lost on a program that's had five tight ends selected in the NFL Draft since 2007. Whyle sees it every day.

"In our meeting room," Whyle explained. "Through these halls walk the greatest tight ends in the nation, and that's something we try to live by not only on the field but in the weight room."

"Yeah, this is Tight End U," Taylor confirmed. "Most definitely, this is the place to be in the country for sure."

The Best Kind of Battle

A lot of QB situations can turn hostile quickly when it involves athletes as competitive as Ben Bryant and Evan Prater, but that's not happening at Higher Ground.

The roommates are getting the best out of one another by showing the team an example of high-level friendly competition.

"I knew Ben before he left," Prater said. "So getting to spend that time with him and seeing him grow in his own ways and me grow in my own ways and just being back togther competing every day. It's a healthy competition, we want the best for each other no matter which way it goes, but we are going to continue to push each other every day, and it's exciting."

The competition has been exciting, to say the least thus far, with both players making big plays throughout fall camp. Mistakes have struck as well and it's led to one of those rare position battles that's barely produced a frontrunner through multiple weeks.

"Competition brings out the best in everyone," Bryant said. "I think Coach Fick has done a great job breeding that competition at every position."

QBs coach and offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli prefaced the battle in a way I hadn't thought of. It was a perfect encapsulation of how this job will ultimately get decided—by looking within and pulling the best out oneself instead of focusing on the other passer's performance.

"It's the hardest position in all of sports in my opinion," The former UC quarterback said. "What I tried to tell both those guys is it's not Evan versus Ben or Ben versus Evan. It's Evan versus Evan, and Ben versus Ben. It's about those guys going out each day and trying to improve. You're going to breed the confidence of the rest of the team when you go out and have success."

Success is the only option in 2022 if this reload is going to stay on schedule. So far so good, during a competitive month at Camp Higher Ground.

Check out the full episode of Let If Fly below.

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