UC Bearcats head coach Scott Satterfield talks early April practice, early enrollees

After fairly mild weather for March, the threat of rain and colder temperatures sent the University of Cincinnati Bearcat football team indoors Wednesday.

With their own permanent indoor performance center under construction, the Bearcats drove near Paycor Stadium to use the Bengals bubble. When the Bearcats had a bubble at the Sheakley Athletic Center, the Bengals used it on occasion during inclement weather. UC's structure is set to open mid-summer of next year.

Working in an NFL facility

Though the Bengals bubble is virtually identical to what UC used to have, many of the players never used it before it came down to make way for the new multi-million dollar project at Corry and Jefferson.

"It's a good change-up for our guys," UC coach Scott Satterfield said. "We got some good work in here. That's what it's all about in spring. You only get 15 opportunities. You don't want to miss a day."

Indoor bickering a good thing

The Bearcats were in full pads hitting for this practice, leading to a lot of talking and spirited competition. Generally, coaches enjoy passion.

"It seems chaotic at times guys fussing and this and that," Satterfield said. "It's all part of it. It's part of the competitive spirit the coaches have and the players have. I see some guys coming up making some great tackles. I see some backs making some guys miss. It's a little bit of back and forth and that's obviously what you want to see."

Early enrollees one step ahead

Of UC's 21 high school signees, 10 enrolled in January and are more than midway through their first spring. Several have made themselves noticed like Maryland linebacker Simeon Coleman. Philadelphia quarterback Samaj Jones has gotten a lot of reps and tight end Gavin Grover is 6-foot-6 and wears No. 87, the same number former Bearcat Travis Kelce made famous with the Chiefs. Receivers Dakarai Anderson and Kale Woodburn from Georgia are burners.

"When you're a freshman and graduate early and can get here in January, you're going to get reps," Satterfield said. "All these freshmen are getting tons of reps. It's hard to replace those reps. A guy like Simeon (Coleman) the first practice he started making plays. You didn't know he was going to be able to pull his trigger like he does. He plays downhill, a very physical player. The thing that I didn't know was how fast he plays. He's looked like he belongs in college football right from the start."

Satterfield will have 11 more players coming this summer that will have some catching up to do upon arrival.

"The growth these guys will get is tremendous," Satterfield said. "The other freshmen, they don't know. They're just getting summer workouts. Then August hits and you're out at Camp Higher Ground and their eyes are about this big and it's like, 'What's happening?' These guys are going to come into Higher Ground with a purpose because they've already went through 15 practices."

Brady Drogosh, linebacker

It's been a week since No. 12 switched from the red quarterback jersey to a black defensive shirt, but he appears to be progressing just fine.

"The first time we went pads, we threw him out here and he left the practice field (with) his arms from his shoulder to his hands were all scratched," Satterfield said. "He had blood coming down his elbow. I said, 'You've never felt like this!' He said, 'No coach,' He's gotten better. Last practice (Monday) he had a pick, about 45 yards down the field. A couple plays before that, he had a sack. For him, every day he gets a ton of reps. This is great for him."

As a former quarterback, Satterfield recognizes Drogosh could detect hesitation or a change in formations or alignments that could give him an idea of where to make a play.

Radio Satterfield

The NCAA now allows a team's play-caller to communicate with the quarterback directly, taking away the possibility of sign stealing that even caught up with last year's national champion.

"You're literally able to talk right to the quarterback as if you're standing right beside them," Satterfield said. "You've got a microphone, they've got an earpiece in their helmet and they're getting to hear everything you're saying. You tell them the play call as they're walking up to the line of scrimmage you can say, 'We're thinking of taking the hitch right here, but if he's not open, don't forget about the corner route.' That's the last thing he hears and all of a sudden they're snapping the football. It's in their head as opposed to signaling on the sideline and they have to think all those things before they snap the ball. It's kind of a cheat code. I like it and the quarterbacks really like it."

The key is to be brief as Satterfield says they have until the 15-second mark on the play clock.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: UC's Satterfield talks early enrollees, play-calling at spring football