The 2022 College Football Playoff was historic. It marked the first time a Group of Five team had a shot at seizing the college football playoff national championship from the perennial contenders. That charge was led by the Cincinnati Bearcats and more specifically Desmond Ridder.
Desmond Ridder grew up in nearby Louisville, Kentucky and was considered a three-star prospect. He was offered a scholarship by Cincinnati's head coach at the time, Tommy Tuberville. When Tuberville left to pursue a career in politics, Luke Fickell honored the scholarship and Ridder redshirted his true freshmen year. He started his career off with a bang in 2018, with a big-time road win over UCLA, throwing for 2,445 yards and rushing for an additional 583 yards.
During his sophomore year, he threw for more than 2,000 yards again and rushed for 650 yards, leading the Bearcats to back-to-back 11-win seasons. In his junior season, he continued his dominance through the air, completing 66-percent of his passes, his highest completion rate during his time at Cincinnati. Ridder's competitiveness compelled him to come back for his senior season and make one last effort to reach the College Football Playoff.
Desmond Ridder's college career reached its crescendo in his senior season. He led the Bearcats to an undefeated regular season and playoff berth, while also throwing for the most passing yards in Bearcat history. He had over 3,500 yards of total offense his senior year and was responsible for 37 touchdowns. Ridder left Cincinnati without ever taking a loss at home (26-0).
Ridder was selected in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He stayed behind Marcus Mariota for the majority of his rookie season, but started four games at the end of the season. He threw for 708 yards and two touchdowns. Mariota was named the starter for the 2023 season and started a majority of the games, but was benched on two different occasions for veteran backup Tyler Heinicke. Ridder ended his sophomore season with 2,836 passing yards and 12 touchdowns.
