Young talent was thrown into the fire last season and managed not to burn, and these guys are back for another round with the Bearcats in 2016. Hopefully, these guys mature and develop the way they are expected too.
The Cincinnati Bearcats were relatively young last season on the defensive side of the football. Having two freshmen defensive linemen in the trenches, combined with a freshman starting at middle linebacker, made the Bearcats susceptible to the run (and by susceptible, I mean one of the worst in the country).
The pass rush was incredibly awful all season and the rush defense was just below what many would consider average.