Per GoBearcats:
Redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Dontay Corleone and redshirt junior right guard Luke Kandra were name to the All-Big 12 Second Team on Wednesday by the league.
Both players are Cincinnati natives who are expected to be team leaders for the Bearcats next fall following standout 2023 seasons in their first year as starters.
Nicknamed “The Godfather,” Corleone has proven to be one of the country’s top interior defensive linemen the past two seasons. He finished with 39 tackles, 6.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks as a team captain in 2023. In 2022, he was tabbed as the nation’s highest-rated defensive player by Pro Football Focus during a breakout redshirt freshman season, finishing with 45 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and three sacks en route to AP All-America and AFCA Freshman All-America honors.
Corleone was a 2023 Preseason All-American by the AP. He announced on Tuesday he would bypass the NFL Draft and return to Cincinnati for his redshirt junior season.
In 2023, Kandra finished as the second-highest graded guard in the Big 12 and fourth-best guard in the nation according to Pro Football Focus.
A transfer from Louisville, Kandra led the Bearcats with 79 knockdowns and a 92% overall grade, rating as UC’s best offensive lineman in 10 of 12 games. He logged 895 snaps during the regular season – the third-most of any guard in the country.
Led in part by Kandra’s blocking, Cincinnati finished fifth in the nation in rushing (217.1 ypg) and junior running back Corey Kiner tallied the 20th 1,000-yard rushing season in Bearcats’ history.
Additionally, Corleone received votes for Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, while Kandra received votes for Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year.
