Scott Satterfield on 2024 Offseason, Team Mentality Change: 'Got to Have Guys That Want to be in The Fire'

Cincinnati is shaping its ideal culture.

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield blows his whistle during spring football practice, Monday, March 4, 2024, at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

CINCINNATI — UC head football coach Scott Satterfield sat down with Adam Breneman for an extensive interview recently and dove into the exact message he gave the team after the worst season this century ended with a 3-9 record.

They faced the hardest winter workout sessions of their careers.

"I think it started in the locker room after our last game," Satterfield said. "I told them it's gonna be the hardest offseason they've ever had. If you're going to be a part of this team, and you come back, this is going to be the hardest offseason you've ever had. I said I got to have guys that want to be in the fire with us, and that was kind of the message right in the locker room. Fortunately, a lot of our better players came back and they'll tell you if you talk to them that this was the hardest winter they ever went through.

"And it needed to be. So I think that was the message man and we've had that ever since and the players that played on his team last year can't get the thoughts out of their head of what happened toward the end of the season. You know, we're not doing well. And that's just motivation every single day when they come over here. And so everybody that we brought in, the high school players, the transfers, we're sending that message to them. You're coming in here, man, you get ready to work your tail off maybe harder than you've ever worked. So that's kind of been the message and our guys have been awesome."

After a year of transition with some clear growing pains from the roster, Cincinnati is closer and closer to Satterfield's vision and ideal culture. 

Now, they get to face one of the easier power conference schedules in the country with arguably the best offensive line in the Big 12 and a much deeper depth chart than last season.

Things are set up for Satterfield to at least double his first season win total at Cincinnati.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel on all things Bearcats athletics and Bearcat Blitz on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Make sure you bookmark Bearcats Talk for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more. 

You may also like:

Recruiting Roundup: Cincinnati Welcoming Three-Star Visitor Robert Smith

Cincinnati Bearcats Officially Announce Dillon Mitchell Addition

Report: Cincinnati Guard CJ Fredrick Returning For 2024-25 Season

Look: Cincinnati Bearcats Have New Jordan Brand Lockers

Travis Kelce Acting in FX Horror Show: 'I Feel Like an Amateur'

Four-Star 2025 Cincinnati Target Mark Zackery IV Sets Commitment Date

2025 Athlete Charles Manga Recaps Cincinnati Bearcats Offer

Report: Date Revealed For 2024 Cincinnati-Xavier Crosstown Shootout

247Sports Ranks Cincinnati's Brendan Sorsby Among Bottom-Three Big 12 Starting Quarterbacks

Recruiting Roundup: Cincinnati Football Offers Five-Star 2026 Safety, Official Visits Trickling In

Cincinnati Lands UAB Wide Receiver Jamoi Mayes From Transfer Portal

Cincinnati Lands Transfer Commitment From Southeast Missouri State DT Harris Adams

Three-Star 2025 QB Zebulin Kinsey Staying Truthful To Cincinnati Bearcats Commitment

Look: New Heights Live at Fifth Third Arena With Joe Burrow, Desmond Ridder, and More

Cincinnati Misses on Transfer Commitment From Duke Forward Sean Stewart

Pinging The Portal: UTSA Forward Visiting Cincinnati, Sharpshooter Contacted

2025 Cincinnati Recruit Jayden Barr Talks Bearcats Visit

Look: Dontay Corleone Picked in First Round of Multiple Major 2025 Mock Drafts

Cincinnati Football Lands Pair of Transfer Commitments in Trenches

Recruiting Roundup: Three-Star WR Places Cincinnati in Top-10, Hoops Offers Five-Star 2027 Guard

-----

Be sure to keep it locked on Bearcats Talk all the time!

Follow All Bearcats on Twitter: @BearcatsTalk

Like All Bearcats on Facebook: All Bearcats