Bearcats Recruiting: Cincinnati sends out ten new offers

On Monday, the coaching staff from Cincinnati only shipped out two scholarship offers. Both of those were extended to Queen City juniors in '16 RB Jeremy Larkin from La Salle (OH) and '16 QB Thomas MacVittie from Moeller (OH). On Tuesday, it was a different story as the staff sent out ten new offers to current high school prospects across the country.

Let's take a look at which prospects were privileged to land an offer from the Bearcats yesterday.

Damion Willis, 2015 WR, Southeast Lauderdale (MS)

We are now about two weeks away from National Signing Day 2015 and from the looks of things, UC is interested in the possibility of adding another WR to their recruiting class. For now, Cincinnati has commitments from Daniel Cobb, Frank Labady and Braxton Neal at the position. But last night, they offered this two-star receiver from the state of Mississippi. Willis is a 6'3, 180-pound pass catcher that holds offers from Louisiana Tech and Louisiana-Monroe. According to Reed DeSalvo of The Meridian Star, Willis actually committed to East Mississippi C.C., just two week ago. We will see if the offer from Tommy Tuberville and the Bearcats will be enough to change Willis' mind instead of going the JUCO route. Shortly after receiving the offer from UC last night, Varsity Preps' Demetric Warren placed a 247Sports Crystal Ball prediction for Willis to wind up in the Queen City. Down The Drive will try to catch up with Willis later today to get his thoughts on the new opportunity.

Dontre Boyd, 2016 CB, Detroit Martin Luther King (MI)

Cincinnati was the second team to deliver an offer to this 5'10, 160-pound defensive back. Despite only having an offer from Toledo until yesterday, Boyd is a player who has been receiving interest from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Wisconsin thus far. The newest offeree also made a stop in Happy Valley last July to participate in a camp at Penn State.

Donell Dunn, 2016 WR, Cypress Springs (TX)

The Red Raiders of Texas Tech were the first program to give Dunn an opportunity to play football at the collegiate level. But the Bearcats joined them on Tuesday. In his junior year at Cypress Springs, the Texas prospect corralled 52 passes that went for 1,229 yards and 11 touchdowns. The impressive season was enough for him to receive first-team all-district honors. Dunn also has the attention of a few P5 programs including Baylor, Ohio State, TCU and Texas. For now, Texas Tech is in the best position to land the Panthers wide out, but it is still very early in the process.

Josh Imatorbhebhe, 2016 WR, North Gwinnett (GA)

The nations 44th best receiver in his class had UC join his group of impressive offers. The four-star prospect from Georgia already holds offers from Florida, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio State, South Carolina and many others. It's worth noting that his brother Daniel Imatorbhebhe, a 2015 prospect, is currently committed to Jim McElwain and the Gators. With the quality of programs on his offer sheet, it is extremely doubtful that Cincinnati will have a chance here. However, I think we all can get a chuckle out of him thinking that the Bearcats are in the Big Ten.

Jonathan Jones, 2016 OLB, Oak Ridge (FL)

"I just thank God," this three-star linebacker told me following his offer from UC. It was the 11th offer that Jones has acquired thus far in the recruiting cycle. While UCF is currently on top to land his pledge, it won't stop other teams from pursuing the 44th best outside linebacker in the class. Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami (FL), Purdue, South Florida, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and West Virginia have also gotten in the mix for Jones by sending him an offer.

Ikenna Okeke, 2016 ATH, Smyrna (TN)

Okeke is a versatile prospect from the volunteer state. Some programs are courting him for the defensive side of the ball. Nonetheless, he is being ranked by recruiting services as a wide receiver. The only other offer outside of Cincinnati that the 6'2, 200-pounder has received to this point is from Butch Jones and Tennessee. Okeke is also intrigued with Kentucky and Vanderbilt, as he has made several stops to both campuses in the past.

Tyrek Tisdale, 2016 RB, Oak Ridge (FL)

The stop at Oak Ridge (FL) wasn't just for Jonathan Jones, who we discussed earlier. It was also to see coveted running back Tyrek Tisdale. The Orlando native is being courted by several programs in the AAC, ACC, Big Ten and SEC. Tisdale is the 42nd running back in his class and the 71st best player in the sunshine state. As we all know, Cincinnati is very fond of prospects from Florida and one of them is this three-star speedster, hence the offer.

Jonathon MacCollister, 2017 OT, Bishop Moore (FL)

This sophomore big man could make his living at the next level on either side of the trenches. He's a 6'3, 239-pounder that is being ranked at conflicting spots. Some say offensive tackle, while others say somewhere along the defensive line. "I think it's awesome to get an offer from the Bearcats," MacCollister said. Outside of Cincinnati, other offers the Bishop Moore lineman holds are from Marshall, South Florida and Utah.

Allen Stritzinger, 2017 RB, De La Salle (MI)

UC was first on the board for this 6'0, 180-pound sophomore. The Warren (MI) native is coming off of a solid 2014 campaign. Stritzinger piled up 1,356 yards and 20 touchdowns on 244 carries. He also caught nine passes that went for 238 yards and one score. Not only did he grab his first offer yesterday, he was also visited by new Michigan running back coach Tyrone Wheatley.

Ambry Thomas, 2017 CB, Detroit Martin Luther King (MI)

Much like Stritzinger, Thomas' first offer came from Cincinnati as well. I briefly spoke to Thomas last night about the offer and he seemed pretty surprised. "When schools come to King, they usually look for Donnie and LaVert," Thomas said. The two names he was referring to are Donnie Corley and LaVert Hill, two four-star prospects in the 2016 class, who both have offers from Cincinnati as well. Thomas also informed me that new defensive coordinator Steve Clinkscale was the coach recruiting in Michigan. "I totally wasn't expecting that," Thomas said on getting the offer. "I was just in shock and excited."