Adlan Elamin is stepping into Cincinnati with more than a new jersey and a fresh start. The 6-foot-9 forward says he’s also taking on a bigger voice in the locker room as the Bearcats begin a new chapter under head coach Jerrod Calhoun.
Calhoun, who arrived after stops at Youngstown State and Utah State, is rebuilding with help from 12 transfers. Four of them came with him from Utah State: MJ Collins, Elamin, Elijah Perryman and David Iweze. That group is part of a portal class 247Sports ranks as the Big 12’s fourth-best and 23rd overall.
For Elamin, the adjustment has been about more than learning a new system. It’s been about helping others get comfortable, too.
“I've just been trying to step up as a leader, cause I've obviously been through it last year, so just every day, just trying to help guys out, anywhere I can. I'm saying plays, things like that, just how he goes about certain things and everything like that. I'm just trying to keep everybody up to speed,” quoted Elamin in front of the media earlier this month.
That leadership push comes after a productive season at Utah State. Elamin averaged 6.7 points and 3.1 rebounds in about 20 minutes per game.
He reached double figures 11 times and topped out at 15 points. He also posted one double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds in Utah State’s 86-66 win over New Mexico.
The former three-star recruit arrives in Cincinnati ranked as the nation’s 137th-best transfer and the 32nd-best overall power forward.
Calhoun’s Utah State team was rolling in 2025, finishing 29-7, winning both the Mountain West regular-season title and the conference tournament, and earning an NCAA Tournament berth. The Aggies beat Villanova in the first round before Arizona ended the run.
Now Calhoun is trying to bring that momentum to Cincinnati, where the Bearcats are looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament stage for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Mick Cronin’s final year in charge. The move has already sparked renewed energy around Fifth Third Arena as the new era gets underway.
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Bearcats Are Closing The Book On A Defining Football Tradition
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For years, Camp Higher Ground was part of the backdrop of Cincinnati football, but the on-campus setup changes the rhythm of August and trims expenses at the same time. The program is expected to save around $250,000 by staying home, and the move also closes the door on a tradition that had become one of the more familiar markers of Bearcats camp life. [Read more 🡒]
Scott Satterfield Is Running Out Of Time To Prove It
Scott Satterfield has given Cincinnati reason to believe the program is moving in the right direction, with the Bearcats steadily climbing from a 3-9 finish in 2023 to 5-7 in 2024 and then 7-6 in 2025. He remains under contract through the 2028 season, which gives the school some stability on paper, but it also means the conversation around his future is tied less to the calendar and more to whether the on-field progress keeps showing up.
The pressure point now is November, where Cincinnati has not found much success lately and where the tone around the program can change quickly if the wins do not keep coming. Even with a substantial buyout in place, the chatter around Satterfield has grown louder enough that this season feels like a proving ground, and the Bearcats know another step forward would go a long way toward quieting it. [Read more 🡒]