Corey Kiner transfers to Cincinnati: Former LSU RB returns home as Bearcats reload for

Former LSU running back Corey Kiner will transfer to Cincinnati after entering the portal on Monday, the sophomore-to-be announced Monday. Kiner, a former Mr. Ohio Football honoree, returns to his hometown after one year in Baton Rouge. 

As the No. 160 player and No. 10 running back in the 247Sports Composite rankings from the 2021 class, Kiner quickly earned playing time at LSU. He finished second on the team with 324 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 79 attempts, including double-digit carries in four games. Kiner led the Tigers with 14 carries in the Texas Bowl loss to Kansas State and was poised to take on a bigger role in LSU’s offense as a sophomore. However, Ed Orgeron’s staff that recruited Kiner was dismissed after the season ended. 

Instead, Kiner joins Cincinnati fresh off its College Football Playoff appearance —  the first by a Group of Five program — under coach Luke Fickell. However, the Bearcats enter 2022 looking to reload after losing several key players on both sides of the ball to the NFL, including star cornerbacks Coby Bryant and Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. 

This is not an unfamiliar move for the Bearcats, however, which leaned on another SEC running back transfer — Jerome Ford, previously of Alabama — to lead their offense in 2021. Ford rushed for 1,319 yards and 19 touchdowns in a sensational All-AAC junior season before declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Listed at 5-foot-9 and 217 pounds, Kiner has a shot to step in right away and win the starting job. The rising sophomore ranks No. 3 in Ohio high school football history in scoring, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, and he rushed for more than 7,000 yards in his career at Bacon High School in Cincinnati. He and teammate quarterback Evan Prater are the only Cincinnati-area players to win Mr. Ohio Football since 1992. 

Kiner puts the bow on a Cincinnati recruiting class that became the third in a row to finish atop the AAC. He will compete with senior Ryan Montgomery (46 carries for 312 yards rushing), Charles McClelland (37 carries for 190 yards rushing) and Ethan Wright (29 carries for 153 yards rushing) for starting responsibilities at running back.