Next up was running back Manny Covey, who is also in Cincinnati on his official visit this weekend. Covey is also currently unranked on 247 sports, but if you have seen any of his tape you can see why he became a priority for the Bearcats as he is dynamic runner in space and can do some big damage in the open field. Covey, stands 5-foot-11, weighing 175 pounds, but is looking to join the Bearcats backfield and knowing the Bearcats history of running backs out of the Florida, aka Jerome Ford who just came off a career season before being selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 5th round of the NFL Draft. Covey is someone to keep an eye on for the future for people who haven’t heard of him yet, and you’ll quickly see why running backs coach Darren Paige and offensive coordinator Gino Guidugli wanted to get Covey to Cincinnati as Covey was another one the Bearcats were looking to make a priority over the last couple months after being on campus early in the spring, and this time getting the job done while the Florida running back was on campus over the weekend.
The 5th and final commitment of Saturdays big haul was from three-star defensive back Jonas Duclona. Duclona is also on campus this weekend and the Bearcats got great news when he announced he would be committing as the 6-foot tall defensive back is currently rated the 83rd defensive back in the country, but has over 30 offers including schools like Wisconsin, Ole Miss, Minnesota, Louisville, Florida, Arkansas and Iowa to name some, which shows the talent the Bearcats are getting with a guy like Jonas Duclona. Kerry Coombs was the lead recruiter on the case to get Duclona to Clifton.
Now let’s recap Sunday where the Bearcats weren’t done quite yet as Luke Fickell and the Bearcats were still looking to add to their haul of commitments as they landed three more verbal commitments and it all started with offensive tackle Nick Oliveira. Oliveira a 6-foot-5 offensive tackle from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, announced he would be coming to Clifton after being on campus over the weekend, as Bearcats offensive lineman coach Mike Cummings and defensive lineman coaches Walter Stewart lead the charge in recruiting Oliveira. After landing three big talented offensive lineman like the Bearcats have done over the last 48 hours, you have to be happy considering Mike Cummings is entering his first year at the realm of the Bearcats offensive line, after coming from Central Michigan where he coached two offensive lineman who were drafted this past April in Bernhard Raimann and Luke Goedke, Cummings is doing a great job at getting to work early in terms of recruiting as the Bearcats look to bolster that offensive line before heading to the Big 12 in 2023. Oliveria held reported offers from schools like Oregon, Penn State, Pittsburgh and more.
The 7th commitment of the weekend was a big target for Bearcats wide receiver coach Mike Brown as he landed his guy in high three-star wide Ayden Greene. Greene is a very talented receiver and reminds me a lot of a guy we saw dominant over the last few seasons in Alec Pierce. Greene a 6-foot-3 receiver who attends Powell High School in Tennessee, is ranked the 12th best player in the state of Tennessee. The Bearcats were actively linked to Ayden Greene for quite some time and the Bearcats made him a huge priority in the class of 2023. Greene had reported offers from schools like Arkansas, Tennessee, Wake Forrest, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh, and is poised to have a huge senior season where his stock should rise even higher. Greene will be a name to keep an eye on in the years to come for the Bearcats as he is also a Top 500 prospect in the class of 2023 where he is currently ranked 433rd in the class of 2023 and could be in the Top 400 after his senior season.
