Cincinnati DL Dontay Corleone Returning to School, Won't Enter 2024 NFL Draft

One of the top interior defensive linemen in the country is returning for 2024 season.

Luke Easterling | Nov 28, 2023

Cincinnati DL Dontay Corleone Returning to School, Won't Enter 2024 NFL Draft /

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Cincinnati Bearcats

Cincinnati defensive lineman Dontay Corleone won't be making the early jump to the pros this offseason.

The Bearcats' star defender is returning to school for the 2024 season, he told ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"It's to help my city out," Corleone told Thamel. "I love my fan base. They are very loyal. I want to end on a high note. I believe in this coaching staff."

It's clear Corleone has unfinished business at the college level with his current teammates.

"Just improving, just winning more games," Corleone said about his goals for the 2024 season with the Bearcats. "That's our goal. We know what the Big 12 is like now. Now we know what we have to game-plan for."

While he would have been one of the top prospects at his position in the 2024 NFL Draft class, Corleone has a chance to boost his draft stock even further for 2025 with a stellar campaign for the Bearcats next season.

"I wanted to take another chance on myself," Corleone told Thamel.

Published Nov 28, 2023

LUKE EASTERLING

Luke Easterling (he/him) has been covering college football and the NFL for more than two decades, with a particular focus on the nexus of both, the NFL Draft. Writing for some of the largest and most recognizable brands in sports media, Luke's experience and expertise in evaluating potential NFL prospects and evaluating team needs/fits has earned the appreciation of his readers, and the respect of his peers. Luke cut his sports journalism teeth at The Tampa Tribune before spending two years at Bleacher Report as a featured columnist covering the NFL Draft and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Luke then spent nearly seven years at USA TODAY Sports Media Group as editor of Draft Wire and Bucs Wire, building both into authoritative destination sites for their respective audiences. Now at The Arena Group, Luke covers the NFL and college football for Athlon Sports, and runs Sports Illustrated's FanNation site for the NFL Draft. A graduate of the University of South Florida, Luke has been a featured guest on ESPN Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Fox Sports Radio, SiriusXM and more. Based in Tampa, Florida (the true home of the Cuban sandwich), Luke plays the drums, loves 2000s pop-punk, watches way too many British murder mystery shows, and channels the energy of his deep-south Grammy and his full-Italian Nana in the kitchen. Twitter: @lukeeasterling Email: luke.easterling@si.com