Cincinnati Football Spring Practice and Staff Updates
From GoBearcats:
Bearcats Continue to Prep for Spring Game on April 13th:
The Bearcats continue preparation for the Spring Game, which will kick off at 12 p.m. ET. on April 13, with several scrimmage periods during the full-contact practice.
Head Coach Scott Satterfield has liked the mindset of the team since winter workouts began in January.
“At the end of last season, we couldn’t wait to get back out there and start working, and that has been the mindset of our guys,” Satterfield said. “They just wanted to get back to work. They started in January and February, and now they are able to actually practice; it’s just a different feeling. Everybody is very intentional about getting out here and getting better. You are training with an edge; you are training with a tough mentality.”
The Spring Game will give fans their first chance to see the 27 scholarship newcomers who joined the team this winter, including 17 transfers and 10 early-enrollee freshmen. Among the newcomers are redshirt sophomore quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who threw 15 touchdowns against just five interceptions in seven starts at Indiana in 2023, and true freshman quarterback Samaj Jones, a four-star recruit from Philadelphia.
The Bearcats also welcome a host of standout wide receiver transfers in Tony Johnson (FAU) and Tyrin Smith (UTEP). Smith had 71 catches for 1,039 yards and seven touchdown receptions in 2022, while Johnson brings 670 career yards to go along with touchdowns
The duo will combine with returners Xzavier Henderson, Aaron Turner and Barry Jackson to bolster a receiving corps who will catch passes from a new starting quarterback.
Rising redshirt junior Brady Lichtenberg was the backup most of the 2023 season before splitting time with Emory Jones and picking up one start at WVU.
He will compete with Sorsby, Jones and redshirt freshman Brady Drogosh at quarterback this spring.
Sorsby connected on a long touchdown pass early in the spring to fellow transfer Joe Royer, a tight end from Cincinnati who started his career at Ohio State.
“You can get a lot out of these spring practices,” Sorsby said. “You want to get your bad stuff out of the way now, have some learning moments and mistakes so you can correct it going through summer and fall camp and get ready for the season. Some good and some bad things from each practice are good things. You want to be able to correct some stuff, but you also want to be able to build off some things.”
Lichtenberg has relished a season under his belt with the coaching staff.
“I think they are great to bring to a team together and right now, it is a total 180 from last year,” Lichtenberg said. “It was obviously tough on the coaching staff coming in last year in their first year. They have to get to know everyone, install a playbook and it’s a tall task to do that. Last year was just getting to know everyone and learning the playbook, while this year, we hit it at full speed, and I feel that the reps are light years ahead of last year.”
Wittke Joins Bearcats as Chief of Staff
CINCINNATI— University of Cincinnati football head coach Scott Satterfield announced on Monday the addition of Brad Wittke as the chief of staff for the Bearcats football program.
“I’m excited to welcome Brad Wittke as the chief of staff of our football program,” Satterfield said. “Brad will work closely with me and together with our university administration on all aspects of our football program. He brings a ton of high-level experience in college football. I can’t wait for him to get started.”
Wittke comes to Cincinnati after serving as Syracuse’s associate athletic director for football operations. He also has experience as the director of football operations at Bowling Green as well as serving in the front office with the Arena Football League’s Pittsburgh Power and in operations roles at Eastern Illinois and Arizona State.
During his eight years with the Orange, he served as the administrative lead and was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the football team, including budget management, capital projects, travel, meals and the team calendar – among several other duties.
While at Syracuse, Wittke worked closely with Nike to design the uniforms the Orange debuted in 2019. He led several major projects to enhance Syracuse’s football facilities and managed the logistics for Syracuse’s appearances in three bowl games.
Before joining the Orange in 2016, he served as Bowling Green’s director of football operations for one year.
Prior to joining the Falcons, he spent three seasons as the director of player personnel for the Pittsburgh Power. He also served as an operations assistant at Arizona State and worked as a graduate assistant for the basketball team at Eastern Illinois.
Wittke holds a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State and a master’s degree from Eastern Illinois.
He and his wife, Jane, have a son, Brooks, and a daughter, Leighton.