The Cincinnati Bearcats are headed into the College Football Playoff with an undefeated record and the label of being the first Group of 5 team to ever make the FBS tournament. They have quite the tall task ahead of them in their first game, as the fourth-seeded AAC champs will take on No. 1 Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
The good news for Cincy is that they are quite good, led in part by a nasty defense that has perhaps the best cornerback duo in the country. Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Coby Bryant have been locking down opponents all season long, with both guys earning All-American nods and Bryant winning the Jim Thorpe Award, given annually to the best defensive back in the sport.
Bryant is going to do something a little special for the postseason. As you can guess by his name, the standout cornerback is named after the late Kobe Bryant, and while the Bearcats are on this run, Bryant will change his number from 7 to 8 to honor the Hall of Fame inductee.
PLAYOFF COBY: 𝗨𝗡𝗟𝗢𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗
7⃣
8⃣@CBryant2_ is bringing Mamba Mentality to the postseason with a jersey change to honor Kobe Bryant.#Bearcats pic.twitter.com/sSOgQlTufJ
— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) December 27, 2021
“I just try to represent him as well as I can,” Bryant recently said about the move. “The best way is to put the number 8 on. I took it back to vintage Kobe.”
This isn’t the first nod Bryant’s made to Kobe during his collegiate career. If he has his way, he’ll have one more in store in the form of the Bearcats knocking off Alabama and either Georgia or Michigan en route to a national title.