Judea Milon has turned a starting job into a breakout. The Cincinnati right tackle was something of an unknown at the beginning of the season, but four games into the Bearcats’ 4-0 start, he’s looking like one of the best at his position in college football.
The fifth-year lineman has been on the field for every snap of Cincinnati’s run so far and has put together an 83.9 Pro Football Focus grade across 248 snaps. Even better for the Bearcats, that number has climbed in each game this season. Among all FBS offensive tackles with at least 170 snaps, Milon now sits fourth in PFF grade.
At 6-4 and 300 pounds, he’s given up just one quarterback pressure all year. That kind of steady edge protection is exactly what has put him on the NFL Draft radar.
Milon said his growth in pass protection has come from repetition, coaching, and athleticism. “It just takes a little time, a lot of coaching, and then having the ability to be athletic,” Milon told me about his pass-blocking growth.
“I'm pretty sure I'm really athletic. Just accepting coaching throughout the years.
Even when I was at JUCO, I had a really good coach, and he showed me the ways and changed up my sets. You know what I'm saying?
Just doing that. Always having quick feet.
It just takes a long time, man. Just takes practice.
Keep practicing.”
The only pressure he’s allowed came last Saturday against Kansas State, and Cincinnati’s line has been just as effective creating space in the run game. The Bearcats are averaging 270 rushing yards per game, which ranks seventh nationally.
For Scott Satterfield, keeping that ground game rolling is part of the weekly chess match, especially with Arizona coming up. “That is always the challenge every week that you go into,” UC head coach Scott Satterfield said about keeping that attack unlocked against Arizona.
“The formations we can get into to figure out where we can free our backs up. If our backs are open in the field, we can make some plays.
We have been able to do that. That will be the challenge again this week.
I'm sure Arizona is looking at that to figure out how to counteract that.”
With Cincinnati still undefeated, Milon’s rise has become one of the clearest reasons the Bearcats’ front has held up so well. And with another Big 12 test ahead, his growth at right tackle keeps looking less like a surprise and more like a foundation.
In Other News...
Bearcats Mourn The Loss Of A Foundational Figure In Program History
Tay Bakers place in Cincinnati basketball history was already secure long before news broke of his death at 99. A former Bearcats player who later returned as head coach, Baker became the first coach in program history to win a conference regular-season title in his opening campaign, a benchmark that still speaks to the standard he helped establish. He also spent time coaching at Xavier University, adding another layer to a career that touched multiple corners of the citys basketball scene.
Beyond the sidelines, Baker was a tenured professor at the University of Cincinnati, a reminder that his influence in the Bearcats orbit extended well past the gym. He was the oldest living college basketball coach in America, and his passing closes the book on one of the foundational figures in the programs history, a man whose career linked Cincinnati basketball, academic life and decades of institutional memory. [Read more 🡒]
Arizona Offense Faces Its Biggest Identity Test Yet Against Cincinnati
Arizona and Cincinnati are headed into a Big 12 matchup that feels like a clear style test as much as a conference game. Arizona has built its offense around the pass, with quarterback Noah Fifita driving the attack in both passing yards and touchdowns, while Cincinnati has leaned on the ground game behind Gi'Bran Payne and Cole Tabb. Both teams arrive with momentum after wins in their previous games, and the contrast in how they want to move the ball should make this one worth watching.
For Cincinnati, the interest goes beyond simply trying to protect its home identity on offense. Quarterback JC French IV has been efficient through the air, giving the Bearcats enough balance to avoid becoming one-dimensional, but this is still a chance to see whether their rushing approach can control the pace against an Arizona team that likes to make opponents keep up. The result may come down to which offense can force the other out of its comfort zone first. [Read more 🡒]
Bearcats Mourn A Program Figure Who Helped Define Cincinnati Basketball
Taylor Tay Bakers death at 99 closes the book on one of the defining figures in Cincinnati basketball history. A former Bearcats player and head coach, Baker left his mark across generations, later coaching at Xavier as well, and his name was already woven into the programs legacy long before the tributes began.
Baker was a 1996 inductee into the Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame and was honored again this year with induction into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. He helped lead Cincinnati to multiple conference titles and NCAA championships as both a player and a coach, and he finished his college head-coaching career with a 195-149 record, a rsum that reflects just how deeply he shaped the sport in this city. [Read more 🡒]