Bearcats Bolster Offensive Line on National Signing Day

National Signing Day was today and even if the introduction of an early signing period may have diluted the hype to an extent, there is still some football recruiting news to be had. The Cincinnati Bearcats already made quite a few additions to their 2019 recruiting class, but they made another significant move on Wednesday by signing Jonathan Allen.

Allen fills a real need for the Bearcats, as the offensive tackle from Dayton, Ohio should help make up for the departure of several talented offensive lineman, including Garrett Campbell, Kyle Trout, Chris Ferguson, Keith Minor and Dino Boyd. Those five made a combined 45 starts last season and helped the Bearcats rank fifth in the American Athletic Conference in sacks allowed (25) and fourth in yards per rushing attempt (5.19).

A three-star offensive tackle, Allen has the potential to be a contributor on the offensive line right away. Although he dealt with an injury during the 2018 season, he was still considered one of the 40 best recruits in Ohio and a top 70 offensive tackle, according to 247 Sports. He picked UC over Ohio State, Indiana, Kentucky and Penn State, among others.

Allen joins a 2019 recruiting class that features only one other offensive lineman in Michigan-transfer James Hudson. The class currently ranks fourth in the AAC and 75th nationally, which is quite a drop from the No. 1 AAC class from a year ago.