Cincinnati starting quarterback Desmond Ridder, who guided the team to an American Athletic Conference title and an appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl this season, will return in 2021.
Ridder announced his decision Friday in a video posted to Twitter, under the heading "One Last Ride," that was also tweeted by the Bearcats.
We've said it before,
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) January 8, 2021
and we'll say it again...
THAT'S. OUR. QUARTERBACK.#Bearcats | @ridder_desmond9 pic.twitter.com/3R4W12QC99
Ridder completed 66.2% of his passes for 2,296 yards with 19 touchdowns and six interceptions this season, as Cincinnati won its first nine games before falling 24-21 to Georgia in the Peach Bowl. Ridder earned American Offensive Player of the Year honors and was a semifinalist for the Maxwell Award.
In three seasons, Ridder has 6,905 passing yards with 57 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. He is 30-5 as Cincinnati's quarterback, the winningest Bearcats signal-caller in team history.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Ridder does not appear in ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s quarterback rankings for the 2021 draft. He told Yahoo Sports that he received feedback from the NFL projecting him as a fourth- to sixth-round draft pick if he left school now.
Cincinnati defensive end Myjai Sanders also announced Friday on Instagram that he would return in 2021. Sanders led Cincinnati in sacks (7) and tackles for loss (10.5) in 2020.
The Bearcats are expected to be a preseason top-10 team in 2021, when Cincinnati is set to face Notre Dame and Indiana in nonconference play.