Cincinnati Bearcats football 2018: The fun, the offbeat facts you might not know

Tom Groeschen | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Former UC All-American Mike Mickens is back, as Bearcats cornerbacks coach Former Cincinnati Bearcats All-America cornerback Mike Mickens is back home, as UC cornerbacks coach.

With the University of Cincinnati football team a week away from its Sept. 1 season opener at UCLA, here is a look at some of the fun, the offbeat and did you knows about the team:

- Head coach Luke Fickell is left-handed. Fickell has thrown out the first ball at some Cincinnati Reds games the past two years.

- Senior wide receiver Kahlil Lewis was a three-star football recruit but also averaged 15 points per game as a basketball shooting guard at Miramar High School in Miami, Florida.

- UC has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2012, when future NFL player George Winn ran for 1,334 yards. In fact, UC has not had a rusher reach 800 yards in a season since. Also, UC has not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Armon Binns in 2010 (1,101 yards).

- Senior quarterback Hayden Moore holds the school single-game passing record with 557 yards, in a game he didn't even start. Moore set his record in relief of an injured Gunner Kiel in 2015 at Memphis, but UC lost 53-46.

- Senior cornerback Tyrell Gilbert was a quarterback at Princeton High School, throwing for 1,807 yards and rushing for 1,200 in two years as a starter.

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- Sophomore offensive lineman Doug Bates (Moeller High School) is the son of another former Moeller/UC player named Doug Bates. The elder Bates was a UC linebacker in the 1980s.

- Redshirt freshman tight end Wilson Huber is the son of Daryl Huber, a UC tight end in the 1980s.

- True freshman linebacker Kyle Bolden is the son of Colerain High School head football coach Tom Bolden.

- Senior defensive tackle Cortez Broughton played in the 2009 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., for the Warner Robins (Ga.) All-Stars.

- Sophomore defensive back Coby Bryant is the brother of Cleveland Browns safety Christian Bryant, the latter a former Ohio State player.

- Senior offensive lineman Garrett Campbell (St. Xavier) is in his sixth year as a Bearcat having received an eligibility extension waiver after losing parts of two seasons to injury.

- Sophomore running back Michael Warren II was named Ohio Mr. Football at Toledo Central Catholic. Warren's 7,619 career rushing yards rank No. 5 in Ohio high school history.

- Sophomore linebacker Jarell White (La Salle) was part of the first program in Ohio Division II prep football history to win three straight state titles. White was named All-Greater Catholic League South at three different positions: Running back, linebacker and defensive back.

- Junior wide receiver Rashad Medaris is the brother of former UC standout receiver Anthony McClung.

- Senior safety Chris Murphy, an Arkansas transfer, has played the violin since kindergarten and does volunteer work with special education children.

- Senior defensive end Kevin Mouhon is the brother of former UC standout defensive lineman Silverberry Mouhon.

- Junior wideout Braxton Neal (Lakota West) is the son of former Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Robert Jackson.

- Freshmen wideouts Jack Peterson and Jake Peterson (Granville, Ohio) are identical twin brothers.

- Sophomore punter James Smith, who was first-team All-American Athletic Conference in 2017, is from Australia and once played Australian Rules Football. Smith is on the 2018 Ray Guy Award watch list.

- Redshirt freshman defensive end Angelo Howze played rugby in three straight Indiana Division I state title games, winning the title in 2016.

- Junior offensive lineman Morgan James (Highland, Mich.) did not play football in high school. James spent time after graduation playing in the Southern Professional Hockey League, with his first exposure to playing football coming in 2015 Bearcats summer camp.

- Junior linebacker Bryan Wright played on a state basketball title team at Howard HS in Wilmington, Delaware. Wright also was a quarterback on the football team.

- Freshman offensive lineman Lorenz Metz (6-foot-9, 303 pounds) is from Neuoetting, Germany. Despite his size, 3-star prospect Metz reportedly has run 4.5 in the 40-yard dash.

- Freshman running back Tavion Thomas anchored the Ohio state track champion 4x100 relay team for Dayton Dunbar in 2017.

- Freshman running back Colin Thurman (Moeller) is the grandson of Eddie Beamon, a Parade All-American defensive lineman at Withrow and later an All-Big Ten player at Ohio State.

- Sophomore safety Collin Widecan (Mariemont) is the son of John Widecan, who enters his 28th year as UC Associate AD/Football Operations.

- Freshman tight end Mick Oakes (Indian Hill) is the son of Pat Oakes, who was a Bearcats offensive lineman from 1993-95.

- Freshman offensive lineman Collin Woodside (Lancaster, Ohio) is the son of Ray Woodside, who was a UC offensive lineman from 1990-993.

- Freshman linebacker Ty Van Fossen played at the same high school as Fickell (Columbus DeSales).

- Two of UC's all-time greats are now assistant coaches under Fickell. Gino Guidugli, who holds several school passing records at quarterback, is UC quarterbacks coach. Former All-America cornerback Mike Mickens is the cornerbacks coach.

- Former University of Kentucky standout wide receiver Joker Phillips, also a former UK head coach, is the Bearcats' wide receivers coach.

- UC comes off of two consecutive 4-8 seasons, the first time the Bearcats have had back-to-back losing records since 1998 (2-9) and 1999 (3-8).

- UC radio play-by-play man Dan Hoard once again will be joined by two ex-Bearcats standouts, former wideout Jim Kelly Jr. (analyst) and former quarterback Tony Pike (sideline reporter) on 700 WLW-AM.