The Cincinnati Bearcats’ quarterback room has had a ton of drama surrounding it this offseason. But none of that drama has actually involved the guys in the room. We’ve talked about the Sorsby situation enough, now let’s talk about the players who will actually be throwing the ball for Cincinnati in 2026.
The Starter
JC French IV is a fifth-year senior quarterback who transferred to Cincinnati from Georgia Southern this offseason. Across two seasons as the Eagles’ starter, French threw for 5,882 yards, 38 touchdowns and just 20 interceptions on 815 career attempts, establishing himself as Georgia Southern’s all-time leader in program passing history. He set the school’s single-season completion percentage record in 2024 at 65.6%, then followed it up in 2025 by throwing for 2,929 yards, 20 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. He also led the Eagles on the ground with 315 rushing yards and a team-high 6 rushing touchdowns.
French began his college career at Memphis, where he redshirted in 2022 before transferring to Georgia Southern. Now the clear QB1 for a Cincinnati offense that returns one of the Big 12’s best offensive lines, French’s ability to translate his production to Power Four competition will likely determine how far the Bearcats’ offense can go in 2026. With Scott Satterfield’s staff publicly praising his fit in the system and NFL scouts beginning to take note, expectations are building fast. He’s been gaining steam from spring ball into fall camp around the fifth-year transfer.
The Ivy League Transfer
Cincinnati added another experienced arm to the QB room in Liam O’Brien. He’s a fifth-year transfer who spent his first 4 seasons as Penn’s starter and the Ivy League’s premier signal-callers. Like French, O’Brien is a dual threat, someone who can beat you with his arm and his legs. In 2025, he completed 67% of his passes for 2,376 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just 7 interceptions. He added 548 rushing yards and 7 more scores on the ground. The jump from the Ivy League to the Big 12 is no small leap in competition level. However, O’Brien’s track record gives Cincinnati’s staff a reliable, experienced option to lean on. His presence solidifies the QB room and offers a solid insurance policy in case of injury, all while allowing the coaching staff to keep its system intact.
The Returner
Samaj Jones is the lone returning quarterback from last year’s roster. His sample size is small: two game appearances, 4-of-7 passing for 72 yards, but the rushing numbers hint at what he brings to the table. 18 carries for 83 yards, a 4.6 yards-per-carry average that shows real juice out of the backfield. The former four-star recruit is still very much in development mode, and he probably won’t see a heavy workload this season. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, this year sets up as a learning opportunity, a chance for Jones to sit behind and absorb reps from a talented, dual-threat quarterback room before his time eventually comes.
The Freshman
Cincinnati landed its possible quarterback of the future when Brooks Goodman. He’s a pocket passer out of Blessed Trinity Catholic in Roswell, Georgia. Goodman was a consensus three-star prospect and Top 100 quarterback recruit per 247Sports and On3. He finished ranked as the No. 64 QB prospect in the nation according to ESPN. Along with Cincinnati, he held offers from Austin Peay, Ole Miss, Indiana, and California before ultimately choosing the Bearcats. Goodman’s junior season is what put him on the map. He threw for just over 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with 13 rushing scores and picked up 2024 Georgia Region 6-4A Honorable Mention honors. That’s a dual-threat profile a big-armed passer who’s also a legitimate weapon with his legs, something this staff loves.
The DIII Transfer:
JJ Miller is a junior from Amelia, Ohio who. was the SBAAC offensive player of the year last year at Wittenberg College (DIII). He spent 2 years at Wittenberg, playing in a total of 15 games while there. He put up 240 completions (64%), 29 TD’s, 9 INTs, and 2406 yards. Last season he threw for 1810 yards, 12 TDs and 9 INTs.
The Reserve:
Will Kocher, a senior from Kings Mills, Ohio is a reserve who has played in 1 game over his career. He’s been a career reserve and will continue in that role this year.
With French locked in as QB1, O’Brien providing a proven safety net, and a developing crop behind them in Jones, Goodman, Miller and Kocher, the quarterback drama of the offseason is officially in the past. The real intrigue now shifts to fall camp and whether French has what it takes to unlock a Bearcats offense with the pieces to make real noise in the Big 12.