Cincy Seeks Stability, Depth at Safety in 3-3-5

When a defensive coordinator runs the 3-3-5 scheme, he’d better make sure his safeties can hold their salt. In 2024, the Bearcats really didn’t. While Josh Minkins and Derrick Canteen led well from the top, depth was certainly an issue. Key, eye-popping plays by Antwaan Peek Jr. grabbed headlines and helped lead to big wins on the road against UCF and a home victory over Arizona State.

However, much of the time, it was clear Tysom Veidt was coaching players he didn’t recruit and jamming pieces together in a puzzle that was ultimately never completed.

Heading into 2025, Veidt has identified all the pieces to the puzzle, and he’s taking fall camp to decide if he’ll be able to put them all together by the end of November.

“We’ll go into the season with a couple of guys playing more than one spot,” Veidt told reporters. “That allows us each week to match up with whoever we are playing and be better situationally.”

Cincinnati is legitimately two-deep at the boundary and STAR positions loaded with proven talent, with the STAR spot actually having three options: JiQuan Sanks, Xavier Williams and Antwaan Peek Jr.

“They’re competing right now to see who’s the first guy in the game,” STARs coach Adam Braithwaite said. “Who’s the next guy in the game? Who’s gonna play the most snaps? That’s a rugged position that you’re gonna need a lot of guys.”

Peek had multiple forced fumbles last season and showed his salt as a tackler, fitting well at the STAR position as that hybrid linebacker/safety role. But he struggled in pass coverage at times, allowing opposing offenses to isolate him in the back end of the Bearcats’ defense. Braithwaite says he has improved physically since last season and used the weight room to confront some of his inefficiencies. Peek has shown that off in racking up multiple interceptions throughout the camp season.

“Not only did he get bigger and stronger, but I think from a mobility standpoint, from a movement standpoint, he’s an improved player there,” Braithwaite told Bearcat Journal. “I do see improvement in his coverage skills.”

The field safety position is where things can get interesting. Tennessee transfer Christian Harrison projects to comfortably hold that role as a starter and has handled himself as such since arriving on campus in January. He’s even so confident in his abilities that he willingly matches up with Joe Royer in drills and team periods in a pursuit to “go against the best.”

“I want to go against the best to help my game,” Harrison told Bearcat Journal. “Picking out guys to go against, whether it’s Joe, Cyrus [Allen], guys like that every day, they’re gonna be one of the better guys in the Big 12 to go against.

“Going against them every day clearly helps me a lot.”

“He’s a good player,” Royer said of Harrison. “Going against him through the spring and fall camp, it didn’t take long to realize this dude’s the real deal. So whenever we got one-on-one reps, he and I walk out together, we get good work, sometimes he wins, and sometimes I win. But that’s the best thing about it. We’re getting each other better.”

Behind Harrison is Quavo Saboor, who got most of his action in 2024 on special teams while sparingly seeing the field on defense. After suffering a quad injury in spring practice, he’s fully recovered and has been competing consistently during fall camp. As Veidt has signaled, rotating safeties and players playing multiple positions will be common. Being eight-deep at safety will be a massive help for the Bearcats in 2025.

Braithwaite isn’t ready to lock in anyone at a specific spot before Week One.

“We’ve got a few guys that are playing multiple positions. Xavier Williams, bouncing back and forth between the middle and the boundary safety, Christian Harrison bouncing back and forth from field to boundary. I think we have to do that to build depth, to be able to put our best 11 on the field. We’re still figuring that out.

“It’s a day-to-day operation, a battle till we get more toward Nebraska and get really honed in on Nebraska. But I think there are still some battles that have to be decided before we solidify that as we get close to Week One.”

The player who could end up going under the radar most is Tre Gola-Callard. After a regression at the end of last season, coming to Cincinnati from the FCS ranks, Gola-Callard missed much of spring practice with an injury and seemingly fell behind the likes of Tayden Barnes and Christian Harrison at the boundary safety spot.

However, he has recovered and had a great fall camp, firmly entrenching himself in a battle with Barnes for that starting boundary safety spot, even taking the first snaps with the starters during last weekend’s fall scrimmage. Gola-Callard playing himself into a starting spot proves the safety room could rival the linebackers for the deepest group on the defensive side of the ball.

“I think one guy that we’re seeing now that we didn’t see a whole lot of in spring is Trey,” Braithwaite said. “He was nagged a little bit during spring; we didn’t see him. He’s stayed healthy here through this camp, and he’s really playing at a high level.”