SAN ANTONIO – Evan Prater heard the question a lot: Why Cincinnati? On the surface the inquiry makes no sense. Prater grew up in Cincinnati. He attended Bearcats football and basketball camps and basically went to pre-school on the campus. His brother, Garyn, plays at Cincinnati.

Then you see his recruiting rank: No. 45 in the Top247.

That’s why a barrage of negative recruiting occured during Prater’s process. Prater is an elite quarterback recruit. He’s the No. 2 dual-threat QB in the 2020 class and a potential game-changing presence for Luke Fickell’s program.

But narratives dictate high-level prospects attend Power Five programs. For Prater to choose Cincinnati, an American Athletic Conference member, is a breaking of the dictated norm. That’s why that question popped up so frequently. Power Five schools told Prater that Fickell planned to leave for a bigger job. They stressed the opportunity that comes with playing at a bigger school. Prater heard it all.

Then he ignored it.

Prater is the highest-ranked quarterback in the Top247 to ever sign with a Group of Five program. He’s one of only two Top247 passers to ever do so, joining Anthony Alford (No. 82, Southern Miss) from the 2012 class. Prater is the third-highest ranked recruit to ever sign with a G-5 school, slotting behind only Ed Oliver (No. 7, Houston) and Deontay Greenberry (No. 17, Houston).

“I just want to bring more success to Cincinnati and show people it doesn’t matter if it’s a big-name school,” Prater told 247Sports. “Don’t get caught up in it. You can be successful wherever you go."

***

Prater drifted off to sleep in the car when he got the text. Lori Prater, his mom, remembers Evan peaking one eye open before bolting upright. Fickell wanted to talk. Evan had spoken to the Bearcats coaches earlier in the day, and it didn’t seem like an offer would come any time soon. But when Evan hung up the phone, he made an announcement: “I got the offer.”

“We’re screaming and yelling made a big deal of it,” Lori Prater said with a laugh. “He just went right back to sleep.”

Prater just wanted to catch some sleep ahead of an AAU basketball tournament the spring of his sophomore year. This was Prater’s second ever FBS offer, and it came from the school in his backyard. It wasn’t the offer Prater always wanted. That distinction belonged to Ohio State – yes, more on that in a bit – but it’s the offer that stuck: “I carried it with me through the whole process.”

Prater stands 6-foot-4, 183 pounds with springy hair that makes him seem 6-foot-7. Wright State offered him a Division I basketball scholarship before Prater pivoted to football as his sport of choice.

There’s a reason Prater opted for football. He had an exceptional high school career. Prater threw for 3,988 yards, 49 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and 61 percent completion rate as an upperclassman. He also ran for 3,297 yards and 60 touchdowns, leading Wyoming High School to its first state championship since 1977 as a junior. Prater finished 28-1 as a starter his final two seasons of high school.

Prater’s public-school success is, at least in part, an explanation of his eventual college choice.

Greater Catholic League schools play a large role in Cincinnati high school sports. Many of the best players funnel to those programs, and Prater certainly had a number of those schools come after him leading into his freshman year of high school. But his dad, Gary, played at a public school in the area, and he eventually played college football at Tennessee and South Carolina. Gary knew you could get seen anywhere.

“He always said, ‘If they’re good enough they’ll find you,’” Lori Prater said.

That’s how Prater views Cincinnati.

It helps that Prater’s future Bearcat quarterback coach, Gino Guidugli, forged a similar path. Guidugli stared as a high school recruit in Fort Thomas, Kentucky – an 11-minute drive from Cincinnati. He won state championships and had offers from across the country. But he brushed those aside and chose to stay home and play for the Bearcats.

He went on to set Cincinnati records for passing yards, touchdowns and completions before a winding professional career. Now, Guidugli is a major link in Prater’s recruitment.

“He sold me a lot on his path,” Prater said. “It’s what connected me and him. It helped create that bond. It was really something special.”

Prater didn’t lack for intriguing offers. Nearby Purdue and Michigan State offered early in 2019. Miami and Oklahoma State weren’t far behind. The Hurricanes even earned a junior day visit from Prater. But Lori said when the family took visits with Evan, Evan always ended up comparing that school to Cincinnati.

Staying home mattered. Playing for Guidugli and Fickell mattered. And yes, being a priority mattered.

“He felt like their guy,” Lori said. “He felt like they put him at the top of the 2020 class. He could help recruit and keep some of these Cincinnati kids home. He loved that part of it. It was important to him.

“UC was just all feel for him. It was a no-brainer.”

One school hung over Prater’s recruitment, at least early in the process. Prater wanted an Ohio State offer. Almost everyone who grows up in Ohio does. He thought it might come, too. Prater’s brother was a walk-on receiver in Columbus and Prater was on Urban Meyer’s radar. Meyer called Prater and asked him to attend a camp. Afterward, Meyer told Prater he’d like to sit down with him and Gary to have a recruiting discussion. Gary gave Meyer a call and never heard back.

Jack Miller, Ohio State’s initial QB commit in the class, announced a Buckeye offer a few weeks later.

Ohio State came calling again early in 2019 after Tate Martell and Matthew Baldwin transferred, leaving a thin quarterback depth chart. By that time Prater had moved on. His brother would, too.

“The interest was out the window,” Prater said.

***

The Prater family had a tailgate at Cincinnati games last season that regularly hosted 50-60 people. With Evan and Garyn playing for the Bearcats next season, Lori joked that number could swell to 20,000 – half of Nippert Stadium’s capacity.

Cincinnati might not need the Prater family to fill the stadium. They’ve thrived under Fickell’s watch. Fickell went 4-8 in his 2017 debut season before posting back-to-back 11-win campaigns. The Bearcats saw their average attendance jump 2,085 fans to 30,519 in 2018. That number leapt to 35,984 this past season, a spike of 5,465 fans per game.

Much of that growth is credited to on-field success. But it’s worth noting the priority the Bearcats have placed on keeping local standouts like Prater home.

Three of the Bearcats’ 2020 signees are from Cincinnati, and six of them played high school football within an hour of campus. Overall, Fickell has singed 43 players from Ohio in his four recruiting classes. Comparatively, Tommy Tuberville signed 19 players from Ohio, including just three from Cincinnati, during the four-year tenure that proceeded Fickell’s.

“He sees the local guys,” Prater said. “He told me he was going to recruit the local guys. It’s what he’s emphasized. You see that in our 2020 class. He’s keeping Cincinnati and Ohio guys home. That’s what’s bringing a lot of success to UC.”

“It creates a buzz around town,” Lori said. “It makes it so much more fun with these people growing up watching their careers. It’s a connection.”

Prater is at the center of that local connection.

He’s the highest-ranked recruit in Bearcat history by a significant margin. When Prater walked around tailgates this past season people already swarmed him for pictures and a quick word.

The local kid is staying home. He looks forward to showing people why, instead of telling them, soon.

“I just want to bring more success and show people that it doesn’t matter if it’s a big-name school,” Prater said. “Don’t get caught up in it. You can be successful wherever you go. I want to bring success to me and my city.”