The day before the start of the spring semester at the University of Cincinnati, the Bearcats got four additions via the transfer portal.
On Sunday, former Wisconsin defensive end Darian Varner, former North Texas defensive back Logan Wilson, former Grambling State running back Chance Williams and former West Virginia defensive end Jared Bartlett all announced they intend to transfer to Cincinnati. They'll enroll in classes this week and will participate in spring practice.
Varner has two more seasons of eligibility remaining. He began his career at Temple, where he redshirted in 2020, then played in 21 games for the Owls over the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He had 35 tackles, 12.5 for loss and 7.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2022. Varner transferred to Wisconsin ahead of the 2023 season, but played sparingly in 11 games, in which he had five tackles, 1.5 for loss and recovered a fumble.
A member of the 2020 recruiting class, Varner was a two-star recruit by Rivals.com out of Maury (Va.). His offer list also included East Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Akron, Liberty,
Wilson is also a two-time transfer who has two seasons of eligibility remaining. His college career began with a redshirt at Kansas State during the COVID-19 affected 2020 season.
Wilson transferred to North Texas in 2021, but didn't see any action. In 2022, he played in 14 games and had 50 tackles, two interceptions, five pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble. This fall, Wilson finished with 62 tackles, one for loss, one interception, three pass deflections and a pair of fumble recoveries.
A member of the 2019 recruiting class, Wilson was a two-star recruit out of Bishop Dunne (TX). He chose Kansas State out of an offer list that also included Arizona, Rutgers, Iowa, Kansas and San Diego State.
Williams has spent the past two seasons at Grambling State. He'll have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Williams redshirted the 2022 season, but didn't play this past fall.
A member of the 2022 recruiting class out of Scotlandville (La.), Williams was a two-star recruit by Rivals.com. He chose Grambling State over offers from Washington State and Memphis.
Early on Sunday evening, Cincinnati added transfer No. 4 on the day, from Bartlett. He'll have one season of eligibility remaining, after a redshirt in 2019 and the NCAA granted extra season of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bartlett leaves the Mountaineers with 135 tackles, 20 for loss and 14 sacks in 48 career games. This fall, he career-highs with 50 tackles, six for loss and 4.5 sacks.
A member of the 2019 recruiting class out of Collins Hill (Ga.), Bartlett was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. He was ranked No. 105 in Georgia for the class and chose West Virginia over an offer list that also included Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Syracuse and Wake Forest.
