Corey Kiner- The Bearcats got a big splash in the transfer portal this offseason where they were able to land Cincinnati Native and former LSU Tiger running back Corey Kiner, who decided to come back home and join the Bearcats. Kiner committed back to LSU back in 2020 during the pandemic, as his final two schools were between LSU and Cincinnati, before ultimately choosing to go play for the Tigers, but now comes home and is someone who could make an immediate impact for the head running back position heading into the season. Kiner saw limited action in his freshman season at LSU where he rushed for 324 yards and two touchdowns on just 79 carries. He is a bigger running back comes in at 5-foot-9, weighing 215 pounds and for anyone who watched Kiner dominate the high school level during his career at Roger Bacon High School will see why he was one of the most highly touted running backs in the country in his class.
Ethan Wright- The junior running back was looking to take the early reps at the running back position this spring, before the addition of Corey Kiner. Wright saw limited action in 2021 as he was behind Jerome Ford, Wright finished his sophomore season with 153 yards on 29 carries, and three touchdowns. Showing some very impressive flashes during that limited action however as he is a runner who likes to come at you hard, attacks the holes and get downhill quickly. Wright’s longest run of his career came back in a 52-3 win over Temple where he rushed for a career long 58-yard touchdown.
Charles McClelland- McClelland is entering his 5th year as a Bearcat as he heads into his redshirt senior season. McClelland was poised to breakout for the Bearcats early in his career before suffering two ACL tears back in 2019 and 2020. McClelland is a guy who can provide a lot of upsides for this Bearcats offensive whether it’s in the run game or passing game as well, as he has tremendous ability to come out of the backfield and make plays in the short passing game. Coming off a season where he rushed for 190 yards on 37 carries but was also a huge part of the Bearcats success on special teams as well.
