A welcome sight at the Cincinnati Bearcats opening football practice for the 2024 campaign was wearing a different-colored jersey Wednesday morning.
As it turns out a 320-pound Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Award candidate is hard to hide. In the corner of the endzone where defensive line coach Walter Stewart was running through drills was Dontay Corleone, the only lineman not wearing a black defensive jersey.
He participated in all of the individual drills and some formations on the field, but not in any team offense vs. defense scenarios. The team began their work Wednesday at Nippert Stadium in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts.
Reason for optimism for Dontay Corleone?
Considering the well-decorated Corleone was hospitalized for blood clots in his lungs in mid-June, seeing “The Godfather” on familiar turf was a positive sign. The only hitting he did was to a blocking sled and a tackling dummy.
“There’s some things he jumped in and was able to do,” UC head coach Scott Satterfield said. “Leaning on what the trainers will allow him to do, he’s going to able to do that. He’ll work through that as we go through camp. I’m excited to have him out here. The reps he’s not getting he’s doing a lot of coaching, so he’s certainly staying involved mentally.”
During the team competitions, Corleone occupied himself running or pounding the practice pads on the sidelines. The plan is to take it day by day. As he mentioned at Big 12 media days, Satterfield received a call from West Virginia coach Neal Brown in June who had a Mountaineer with a similar ailment play last year.
“We had a player that went through the exact same situation a year ago,” Brown said last month in Las Vegas. “We really leaned on some NFL personnel because there’s a couple guys with similar situations. We did a lot of research and we felt like we took a safe and precautionary measure. The young person was able to play. He was effective. He’s doing better. He still has some restrictions but not as strict as they were last fall.”
Cincinnati Bearcats backup plan on defensive line
If Corleone is to miss time that could be a setback for the Bearcats’ new 3-3-5 defense under new coordinator Tyson Veidt. Corleone is a big plug in the middle., plus Eastern Michigan transfer Mikah Coleman is out for the year in a boot with a lower leg injury.
The frontrunner to replace him if he were to miss time is redshirt senior Jalen Hunt, a 6-foot-4, 308-pound former Michigan State Spartan. Hunt impressed in the spring and says the defense shouldn’t miss a beat even though he says Corleone is the “heart and soul” of the defensive line with his strength in the middle.
“I don’t think there will be a drop-off,” Hunt said. “I always think of the ‘next man up’ because that’s how we train, how we practice. We practice so if something bad happens we’re prepared and ready for it.”
Dontay Corleone ‘a vocal leader, a physical leader’
On the opposite end, redshirt senior Dartanyan Tinsley is on his last ride along with Hunt. Though the offensive lineman may not miss tangling with the massive cog that Corleone is, he admits his presence uplifts the team.
“Dontay is without a doubt a vocal leader, a physical leader, his presence is great,” Tinsley said. “Him demonstrating how much he cares about being here is revolutionary and we need it for sure.”
Coleman and Corleone conceivably would have two more years of eligibility if a medical redshirt is involved. That’s a likelihood for Coleman, but current indicators are optimistic in the case of Corleone.
Athletes and blood clots
The athletic history of those with blood clots is mixed. Chiefs guard Trey Smith has had one and Browns receiver Marquise Goodwin was cleared to play last season after recovering from one. Former Bengals first-round draft pick Billy Price retired because of one as did former NBA player Chris Bosh. Tennis phenom Serena Williams had the ailment as did Olympic swimmer Katie Hoff. Current Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore was recently diagnosed and teammate David Andrews (center) once missed a season with them.
Among the issues such an athlete faces with a blood clot is you can’t play while on blood thinners and typically flying is ruled out for a period of time after such treatment. These are among the factors UC Senior Associate AD/Sports Medicine Aaron Himmler and team physician Dr. Jon Divine will weigh out before clearing Corleone.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati football: Dontay Corleone at UC practice
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