Scott Satterfield didn’t hide his enthusiasm Wednesday at the Monster Energy Big 12 Media Days. When the Cincinnati quarterback conversation turned to JC French IV, the Bearcats coach made it clear why the transfer from Georgia Southern has his staff fired up.
“We tried to find a guy that fit what we wanted to do, and JC was out there. A couple of things that we like about JC, he ended up being the all-time leading passer in Georgia Southern school history, and he's a guy who has a lot of great experience.”
French arrives in Cincinnati after three seasons with the Eagles, where he piled up 5,882 passing yards, 38 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He also added 602 rushing yards and 8 scores on the ground, though he was sacked 59 times over that span.
The appeal for Cincinnati is easy to see. French is walking into Power 4 facilities, behind a Bearcats offensive line, and into an offense that should be built around what he does best. He shares a lot of the same physical traits as former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, but French is more of a throw-first player when the moment gets tight.
Last season, French threw for 2,929 yards with 20 touchdowns and 8 interceptions while completing 63.8% of his passes. He also ran for 315 yards and 6 touchdowns on 133 carries, averaging 2.4 yards per carry, and took 29 sacks.
Georgia Southern finished 7-6 overall and 4-4 in Sun Belt play, good for the East division title. French looked strong late in games, but the biggest question now is the one that follows every quarterback making this jump: how quickly will it translate to the Power 4?
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Former Bearcat Connor Barwin Earns Special Hall Of Fame Honor
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Barwins final season in Clifton turned him into one of the Big Easts top defenders and set up a long NFL run after Houston took him in the 2009 draft. He went on to spend 10 seasons in the league and reached a Pro Bowl level with the Eagles in 2014, but for Cincinnati fans, the Hall of Fame honor also brings back memories of how quickly his Bearcats career changed once he found his right position. [Read more 🡒]