The Cincinnati Bearcats found out on Wednesday that two of their defensive studs and leaders were named to the USA Today All-America team. The Bearcats are coming off a year where there were a lot of accomplishments but unfortunately a very sad ending. They are hungry for more this year and their highly ranked defense is where this team starts. Last year defensive end Myjai Sanders and cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner hit their strides and really helped carry this Bearcats defense. The two leaders are also great teammates who have gotten a lot of praise from their teammates and coaching staff.
Meet our 2021 preseason college football All-America team. https://t.co/ove6Y4fosh
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 11, 2021
Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner was named First Team All-America. Gardner has gotten a lot of recognition from media, staff, teammates and everyone who follows college football. Coming off a fantastic sophomore year where he allowed the third-lowest passer rating in the FBS in 2020. What was impressive about Gardner was the fact that he stood out in a defense that had many playmakers in it. The Bearcats defense was ranked in the Top 15 in five categories including tied for No. 3 in interceptions (16) and passing efficiency defense (101.26) Gardner also was named to the watch lists for the Bednarik Award and Jim Thorpe award this offseason. A leader of secondary and excited for his junior Year it will hopefully be a very fun year for Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
The next defensive stud for the Bearcats is their leader on the defensive line Myjai Sanders. Sanders like Gardner is coming off an exceptional year where he was rated by Pro Football Focus College as one of the top edge defenders in the NCAA FBS. Sanders had a team-best 10.5 tackles for a loss and 7.0 sacks in 2020 where he earned First-Team All-AAC honors. Both his marks ranked him among the Top-10 defenders in the AAC. Sanders is looking to build upon a very disappointing end to an amazing 2020 campaign for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Sanders will look to be a menace on the line like he was last year and hopefully build upon his team-leading 10.5 tackles for loss.
Bearcat fans should be excited for this team as preseason awards are hopefully just the start for this team. Throughout camp, many defensive leaders say they are eager and hungry for the season to start as they look for redemption. With big time matchups this season including Notre Dame, Indiana and UCF this is the opportunity for the Bearcats to show they belong. Defensive stars like Ahamd “Sauce” Gardner, Myjai Sanders, Coby Bryant, Bryan Cook, Malik Vann and Darrian Beavers on top of a scary offense could definitely put them in that position.
Congratulations to Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Myjai Sanders on the announcement and we look forward to watching you guys on defense this year!
