Cincinnati opened fall camp with fans inside Nippert Stadium on Saturday morning, and the first big update from Scott Satterfield came with a tough one: safety Ty Goodwill is out for the season after ankle surgery.
Goodwill had been positioned as an important piece of the Bearcats’ revamped defense, but a non-contact injury in Thursday’s practice changed that quickly. Satterfield said the injury involved the lower leg and that “something popped,” leading to surgery and ending Goodwill’s season before it really got going.
The setback stings for Cincinnati because Goodwill arrived with experience and production. Over two seasons at South Alabama, the 6-3, 200-pound safety posted 43 tackles, eight PBUs, two interceptions and four tackles for loss. He also earned a 79.3 Pro Football Focus grade across 328 defensive snaps last season.
“A lower-leg inury there. Something popped, and so had to have surgery,” Satterfield said after the session.
“I think that's unfortunate, man. I mean, it's certainly a guy that we're counting on, and such a good kid.
Obviously brought him in here as an experienced player out of South Alabama, he's going to help on all special teams and the secondary--that's a big loss for us. Guys got to rally.
We got to find some other guys that'll fill in for him.”
The day itself, though, was a step forward for a team trying to build momentum after improving its final record in each of the last two seasons. Satterfield said the group wasn’t pleased with the early portion of camp, but Saturday brought a better energy and a more physical edge.
“Came out today, first time in shoulder pass since the spring, and I thought it was a lot of energy,” Satterfield noted. “Physical practice today, and it was a good practice. We got so much to learn off of this practice here.”
Now the attention shifts to defensive coordinator Nate Woody’s unit and the month-long evaluation of JC French IV. The new Cincinnati quarterback is being kept upright by a line that includes Evan Tengesdahl, and the pressure that comes with that spotlight doesn’t seem to bother him.
“Yeah, there's definitely some pressure to it, but nothing that we're not used to,” Tengesdahl said about the prime attention the Bearcats' elite offensive line is getting this season. “Playing in a lot of big games last year, kind of used to that pressure now.”
In Other News...
Bearcats Fans Got An Early Look At Two Big 2026 Storylines
Before Cincinnati took the field for its open practice at Nippert Stadium, the Bearcats put a softer touch on a big football Saturday with their Pancake With Us breakfast event. More than 1,000 fans turned out, and the celebration centered on an offensive line group led by preseason All-America guard Evan Tengesdahl, with players serving pancakes and spending time around the crowd before practice began.
Once the pads came on, the early signs of the 2026 season started to surface. Quarterback JC French IV and wide receiver JV Gibson both had noticeable moments during the workout, while coach Scott Satterfield talked about the ongoing competition among the receivers for snaps and playing time. It was the kind of August public look that does not settle many questions, but it did offer a clear reminder that Cincinnati already has a few important storylines taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Put A New Team Strength On Display At Nippert
A public practice and pancake breakfast at Nippert Stadium on Aug. 8 gave Cincinnati fans a closer look at a part of the roster that could shape the Bearcats season. The event was designed to shine a light on the offensive line, and it also offered plenty of player interaction with the crowd while head coach Scott Satterfield watched one of the teams most important units go through its work.
Satterfield came away pleased with what he saw from Evan Tengesdahl, Taran Tyo and Joe Cotton, along with the rest of the group, and he also pointed to progress on the defensive side as camp continues. For a team looking to build confidence before the season opens, the line play stood out as a promising early indicator, even if there is still plenty of August left to sort out the bigger picture. [Read more 🡒]