UCLA Bruins Football 2019 Season Preview: Cincinnati Passing Game

Cincinnati Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Though without his favorite target in Kahlil Lewis, Ridder will still return plenty of receiving talent in Jayshon Jackson, Rashad Medaris, Thomas Geddis, and newcomer Alec Pierce who has shown some flashes during fall camp.

While none of the other receivers had the kind of season that Lewis had, they all played heavily and accounted for significant passing production.  Fickell and the Bearcats will need them all to improve throughout the 2019 season if they are to continue their dominance of the AAC and rise on the college football stage.

Tight ends Josh Whyle, Bruno Labelle, and Josiah Deguara will likely figure heavily in the passing game as well.  Throw in the fact that running back Michael Warren is also an excellent pass catcher, and it’s all but certain that Ridder will have no shortage of targets in 2019.

All told, Cincinnati returns 10 of its top 11 pass catchers, accounting for a hugely significant 70% of its total passing production.  It must be noted, however, that Lewis was Cincinnati’s biggest threat to score, accounting for nine of the Bearcats’ 22 passing touchdowns.  While they may not need to replace yardage, Cincinnati will certainly need to find reliable targets in the endzone, not just midfield.