Bearcat 'Crootin: Secondary Takes Precedence

Its been a week since we last hit the recruiting trail. Following the bread crumbs left by Cincinnati's staff led to another stockpile of potential talent for Nippert Stadium and the Big 12. I don't recall saying Big 12. Here is a rundown of some of the players that have UC on their radar thanks to offers sent this week.

We begin yet again in the state Jack Donaghy once called "America's Australia."

Three-star running back Kameron Duncan has been a popular recruit for a number of programs up and down the East and Midwest. With offers from a range of schools that includes FAU, UNC, Missouri, Louisville, Iowa State and UC's soon to be arch rival West Virginia, its clear that the 5-foot-10 rusher has something a lot of folks want According to 247Sports, the back from Ocala, Fla. is the No. 54 running back in the 2017 class and is leaning toward West Virginia, but that didn't stop the UC staff from offering Duncan the chance to step into a backfield that will lose Tion Green after next season.

Another prospect that may be making a home in the UC backfield is Clearwater's own Rashaad Stewart. A two-star recruit that plays on both sides of the ball, it is more likely that Stewart will play cornerback at the college level. He is ranked as the No. 157 corner in the 2017 class and stands at 6-foot while weighing in at 175 pounds. Stewart is extremely popular in Ohio, as Bowling Green, Akron and Toledo have all made him offers, but schools like Florida State and Boston College have also shown interest.

Our last stop in Florida takes us to the state's capital where Lyn Strange makes his berth. Like Stewart, Strange could play on offense or defense, as he has fit in as a wide receiver and a free safety at North Florida Christ. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds he has the build to be a solid pass-catcher, especially in UC's passaholic offensive system. He runs a 4.5 40-yard dash according to Hudl, so the speed is certainly there as well. A three-star recruit according to Rivals, Strange has an incredibly lengthy offer list, which includes Louisville, Memphis, Miami (Florida), Syracuse, Temple and Iowa State.

From Florida, we'll head up to Georgia to take a look at Kyric McGowan, another potential addition to the UC secondary. McGowan is hording offers, but most have come from smaller schools, although he has gotten sniffs from power conference programs like Duke, Vanderbilt, Minnesota and Mississippi State. At 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, McGowan still has some growing to do but has plenty of time.

A quick trip westward brings us to Louisiana and Joseph Foucha, a junior jack-of-all-trades in the secondary from New Orleans. Foucha would be an addition for the 2018 class and UC will have some tough competition in the recruiting arena as such powers as Auburn and Texas A&M have extended offers to him as well. With his size (6-foot, 190 pounds) and ability to play cornerback and safety, its no wonder UC isn't the only program to be intrigued.

The state of Tennessee proved to be a treasure trove for UC recruiting this week, as a pair of highly regarded prospects received offers on Bearcat stationary. Three-star athlete Chase Kuerschen from Knoxville was one. A 6-foot-1, 200-pounder for the 2017 class, he is the No. 45 prospect in the Tennessee as a whole and thta has not escaped the attention of programs in state (Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech) or out (Navy, Ohio).

A potentially more important recruit from Tennessee received an offer from UC this week as well, with safety Kaleb Oliver (2017 class) adding the Bearcats to his potential schools. UC joins Kentucky, Louisville, Memphis, MTSU, Mississipi State, South Carolina and Vanderbilt on that list. Oliver is a three-star prospect according to Rivals and the No. 15 recruit in the state as well as the No. 33 at his position overall. As noted, the 6-foot-3 prospect is being courted by many schools in his immediate vicinity and 247Sports is already predicting that he will choose Louisville.

Speaking of Louisville, Desmond Ridder joined Aidan Willard as potential candidates to be the next great UC quarterback. Ridder is a dual-threat QB from Louisville and Cincinnati is the first school to offer him a scholarship. Wide receivers coach Blake Rolan gets the credit for this recruitment, using his double agent status as an alum of Louisville to help UC in its play to rip a player right out from under UofL's nose.

Rolan also was the man on the scene in recruiting Mark Stickford, an offensive tackle from Carmel, Indiana who is in the 2017 class. 247Sports already says that Stickford is warming to UC despite having offers from Ball State, UCF and several other schools.