UC Bearcats add LSU transfer Corey Kiner, a former Ohio Mr. Football

On Apr 18, 2022

After announcing his plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal Monday morning, former Roger Bacon High School running back and 2020 Ohio Mr. Football Corey Kiner will leave Louisiana State University (LSU) and return home.

After waiting for LSU to officially place him in the portal, Kiner has since declared he’ll be a University of Cincinnati Bearcat. The announcement came just after 6 p.m. Monday with a Twitter video featuring “Put On For My CIty” and the 513 area code.

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Though UC returns some running back experience with redshirt freshman Ryan Montgomery, senior Charles McClelland, junior Ethan Wright and sophomore Myles Montgomery, they are still trying to find a clear No. 1 running back with the departure of Jerome Ford to the NFL Draft.

Ford ran for 1,242 yards and had 19 rushing touchdowns for the Bearcats in 2021. Kiner would be the first Ohio Mr. Football running back for the Bearcats since Michael Warren II, who won the honor for Toledo Central Catholic in 2016.

Kiner’s move now gives Luke Fickell two former Ohio Mr. Football winners as Evan Prater won the honor out of Wyoming High School in 2019.

Kiner had committed to LSU in the spring of 2020. Before that, he had numerous offers and Twitter edits detailing his pigskin possibilities. When current LSU offensive coordinator Mike Dembrock was at UC, he sought Kiner to be a hometown hero along the lines of Prater and others.

Several Bearcats expressed themselves via social media about the Kiner news Monday, including quarterback Prater who retweeted his May 2020 post, “I need this..backfield would be crazy !! !! !! @CoreyKiner.” Before declaring for LSU, UC had been among Kiner’s Top 10 the first time around.