Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder will forego the NFL draft and return to the Bearcats program for the 2021 season, the junior announced on Friday.
Ridder led Cincinnati to a 9-1 season in 2020, a year when the team was ranked as high as No. 6 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Bearcats defeated No. 23 Tulsa in the AAC Championship but lost to No. 9 Georgia in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, 24–21.
In his video announcement, Ridder said he plans for Cincinnati to win a second straight conference championship next season and that there will be "no reason not to put us in the playoffs.