Cincinnati was a middle of the road team in the American Athletic Conference in terms of passing defense in 2016, allowing 233.3 yards per game through the air. However, that didn’t mean the Bearcats struggled to create mistakes from opposing quarterbacks. In fact, they finished up the year second in the AAC and tied for 11th nationally in interceptions (17). Mike Tyson, who we’ve talked about already, was a big reason why, as he had five interceptions. But Tyson is gone, so who will fill the interception void?
The easy answer is Alex Thomas, who will enter his junior year after a sophomore campaign in which he stole four pass attempts from the air.