The next former Bearcats tight end to make his mark in the NFL following Brent Celek was Connor Barwin, who spent his first three seasons playing tight end before switching to defensive end prior to his senior year in 2008. He primarily backed up Celek as a freshman and sophomore before his junior year, in which he posted 31 receptions with 399 receiving yds and two touchdowns. Barwin being the tremendous athlete he is, also suited up for 18 games with the University of Cincinnati Men’s Basketball team as a junior. The Cats’ were decimated by injuries on the hardwood and already had a thin roster to begin with while still dealing with the fallout from legendary former head coach Bob Huggins’ dismissal the previous year.
Former UC head football coach Brian Kelly switched Barwin to defensive end as a senior in 2008 and he flourished earning first team All-Big East honors. His 49 tackles and 11.5 sacks were good enough for the Houston Texans to select him in the second round (46th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. Barwin had a very productive 10 year NFL career finishing with 56.5 sacks and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2014. After leaving the Texans he had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and New York Giants before retiring following the 2018 season.
