Antwan Peek Jr. has spent enough time around Cincinnati football to know when something feels different.
The redshirt senior safety-turned-STAR has become one of the Bearcats’ defensive voices, and that makes him a natural person to assess new defensive coordinator Nate Woody. Peek’s own path gives him real weight in the room: he arrived at Cincinnati in June of 2022 as a walk-on, not as a player handed anything because of his last name, even with his father, Antwan Peek Sr., already a UC Athletics Hall of Fame inductee from 2023.
Peek earned his way up the depth chart the hard way, then turned that climb into production. In 2024, he posted 56 tackles and forced four fumbles. He followed that with an even stronger 2025 season, finishing Cincinnati’s 7-6 campaign with 59 tackles and an 85 overall PFF grade, the highest among Big 12 safeties.
That’s the kind of résumé that makes his take on Woody worth listening to.
At Big 12 Media Days, Peek described a coach who brings constant energy and a sharp eye for detail. Woody arrived from Army, where three of his six seasons ended with the Black Knights inside the top 15 nationally in total defense, including a No. 1 finish in 2020.
“He definitely brings the same energy every single day…I definitely feel a different presence with him. He checks on every single position; he's walking around, when we're getting signals, he's making sure that everyone gets the signal. And he won't give the signal until everyone's looking at him,” starts Peek at the Big 12 Media Days.
“So, you know, that's definitely something that's unique, and something that we'll just have to ingrain into our lives, just everyone getting in their spots and looking at him. But Coach Woody's been great. I'm excited to continue working with him; this defense will be good.”
Cincinnati is hoping that presence translates into a major turnaround. Last season’s defense was one of the worst in the country, as the Bearcats finished 110th and gave up 423.6 yards per game. They also landed outside the top 90 in both passing yards allowed and rushing yards allowed.
The damage was especially clear during the five-game losing streak that derailed what had looked like a strong season. Over that stretch, Cincinnati gave up 181 points.
Woody and the staff tried to address that problem aggressively in the offseason, bringing in 12 transfers through the NCAA Transfer Portal in a class that ranked No. 41 overall.
There’s also a familiar connection behind the hire. Woody previously worked with head coach Scott Satterfield at Appalachian State from 2013 to 2017, when the two went 41-21 together.
Satterfield made that relationship part of the pitch when he introduced Woody earlier this offseason.
“I’m excited to announce Nate Woody as our defensive coordinator. I have known Nate since bringing him in 2013 to Appalachian State, where our defenses had tremendous success over several years.
He has continued to coach outstanding, aggressive defenses at Army. He’s one of the best coordinators in the country.
I’m pleased to welcome Nate and his family to Cincinnati.”
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