July 8, 2025 • 9 mins
UC Director of Athletics John Cunningham joined us from Big 12 Media Days.
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Podcasts of The Mo Egger Radio Show are a service of Longnecks Sports Grill.
Listen to the show live weekday afternoons 3:00 - 6:00 on ESPN1530.
Listen Live: ESPN1530.com/listen
Get more: https://linktr.ee/MoEgger
Follow on X: @MoEgger
Instagram too: @MoEgger
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Nineteen and a half for four. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty Moeger, Brendan min and Jhones on baseball is just
about thirty minutes away. John Cunningham, the director of Athletics
at the University of Sincinni Big twelve Media Days are
happening in Frisco, Texas. John, kind enough to give us
a few minutes. It's it's good to have you. As always.
What does the what does the director of athletics do
(00:23):
during a conferences media days?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, number one, you take the team out to at
dinner the night before, and you know, we have four
of our student athletes here and head coach, and so
it's just just great to get to know them a
little bit more and spend some time with them away
from the football facility and away from football. And then
you know, and then Zach Snipe our media relations guys. Great,
He's got me set up talking to some opposing team
(00:51):
radio and in places that we're either going to go
play this year or people that are going to come playoffs,
and so they want to know about Cincinnati and Skyline
and and where to stay and what to do when
they're when they're in town, and so that's kind of
what we do.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
All right, good stuff. This is year three of the
Big twelve. And look, we all know what happened last
season with football, right five and two, and we're feeling
pretty good. Nobody liked how the the end of last
season unfolded. Give us an idea of your level of
confidence in a different outcome in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, very confident. I feel really good about where the
program is in terms of the leadership around the program.
You know, I said this to somebody just a minute
ago that our best players are also our leaders, and
you know, Gavin Gerhardt is a great example of that,
you know, a center for us. It's been a three
year captain. I don't know how many three year captains
(01:48):
there are anymore around the country, but three year captain
obviously Dante Corleone and Joe Royer, who I think is
the best tied end of the country. Brendan Horzby coming
back for you know, a second year at Cincinnati, but
he also was a starter at Indiana, says really a
three year starter in college. And so we've got got
a lot of experience and we have some depth that
(02:09):
we didn't have previously. Second year under Tyson Vite on
the defense. So I think we build off the five
and two and we remember that we were were we
can be competitive with anybody in any environment. We're you know,
right there with Texas Tech and beat Arizona State, the
winner of the conference at home. And then we learned
from the end of the year where we where we
(02:31):
trail off, Why did that happen? What can we do different?
How do we stay more healthy? How do we just
stay more more ready to play those those difficult games
come down the stretch. So you know, I'm ready for
the season. I think I think they're really excited about it,
and I'm excited as well.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I'm excited for the start of the season. I'm excited
for this time of year because I feel like this
is this is the half of the calendar where when
we talk about college football, we actually talk about football.
And so, you know, for for months leading up to this,
it's been about the structure of college football, the playoff,
what's happening with revenue sharing and all that sort of stuff,
And so you hear people say things like, well, college
(03:10):
football is being ruined. I think college football is different.
That's obvious. I think you would agree with that. I
don't believe it's being ruined. What comes to mind when
you hear someone lament the current state of college football
and how it's on the verge of ruination.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Go back to what you said. Once the ball is
kicked off, it's you know, the game is the same
as it's always been. It's a great game. We love it.
The TV ratings are higher than they've ever been. People
love college football for all the right reasons, for all
the reasons that we've always loved it. You know, it's
great competition. The Big Twelve is a league of great parody.
(03:50):
You never know who's going to win the game. We
had more fourth quarter league changes than anybody else in
the country in the Big Twelve. So the game is great.
And we're still dealing with eighteen to twenty two year
old kids that you know, do eighteen to twenty two
year old things on and off the field, and so
that hasn't changed at all. And we're still trying to
grow them as young men and make them great. So
(04:12):
all of that is the same. And there's a new
dynamic in place, and it's you know, revenue share and
the distribution of some of the revenues that have been
earned over years through television money and other things, and
we've got to deal with that and and handle it.
We've got something that's too great to lose. We've got
to protect it. We've got to educate our fan base
(04:32):
on it and make sure that we can continue to
operate college football going forward.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
College football. You know, I hear people complain about it
Sunday through Friday, and then those Saturdays are still awesome.
I know a lot of UC fans want more Saturday
nights at Nippert Stadium. Do you have conversations with people
in the league or the TV partners about maybe a
way to have at least one or two more night
games all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, And I think it's interesting from an ad perspective,
as I talked to other ads in the conference. You
want to mix. You want to mix. You want some
you know, maybe you have one new game, but then
you have two or three three thirty games and you
have a couple of night games. That's a great mix
of games. And you want to catch you know, your
fan bases at different times just because people have different
things going on. But what you don't want is, you know,
(05:24):
kind of what happened to us last year is we
got a lot of those new games, and then we
went out to Colorado. I remember talking to their ad
Rick Georgian said they got all night games and they
didn't like that either. So you want to you want
to mix, but you certainly want some nippertent night games.
That's important to us. We've expressed that we just frankly
don't have a lot of control over that. So it's
(05:44):
just sort of the way it breaks sometimes and and
you know that's that's part of the deal. But we're
gonna put on a great show and we're gonna try
to take care of our fans and everybody we can,
whether it's at dude or three thirty or at night.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Two years ago a big twelve media day. Cincinnati is
one of the new kids, and then last year there
were a whole bunch of new kids, the Arizona Schools, Utah,
and so it's a little bit different. I guess this
go around with the fact that there's you know, college
football conference realignment is always being talked about, but there's
there's been no drastic change in terms of membership. From
(06:19):
your perspective, Does that make things at least a little
bit more calm, if not a little bit easier.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
It does, and I think we've settled in as a conference.
I think we sort of understand who we are and
what we're about within the sixteen different schools, and it
has made it easier to handle with everything else going on.
We needed something to settle, and it seems like at
least conference realignment for now it's settled. There's always everybody
(06:45):
points to twenty thirty twenty thirty one, when the contracts
for television come up again. That's usually when you have
movement in conference, at least at the Power four or
five level, and so you know that's something that we've
got an eye on. But for now we settled in
with the sixteen Big Twelve teams.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I know Brett or Mark was talking earlier today, the
commissioner of the Big Twelve, and he'll sort of outline
every year the conferences stands on things like the College
Football Playoff and its structure and how many teams should
be included and how many out large bids and all
that sort of stuff. So there's like the official conference
stance on things like that. How much input do the
(07:25):
individual institutions get on things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
We certainly have input. We've we've talked a lot about
it amongst athletic strictors and presidents, and you know, I
think we we've all gotten to a place. You know,
as we go around the room, everybody really agreed that
the way that we want to approach the college football
playoff going forward is you know, you have to you
(07:51):
have to win to get in. You have to show
yourself on the field. You don't get automatic berths outside
of winning the conference. So you know that that five
eleven model where you have your five your four Power
four conference champions and then you have your one G
five champion as year five, and then you go into
your eleven at largest, that's the model that we like.
(08:13):
We like it because you have to prove yourself on
the field to play, rather than trying to before the
season even starts. A sign the number of flots that
you get per conference.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I know you have a lot going on. I can't
thank you enough for doing this. Hopefully we can get
caught up before the season starts and then frequently as
the upcoming football season and fall sports season unfolds. We
appreciate the time as always, John, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Always thank you all.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
You got it.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
John Cunningham, director of Athletics at the University of Cincinnati.
Big twelve Media Days happening right now in Frisco, Texas,
twenty eight minutes after four o'clock. We'll go back there
in the five o'clock hour. Our buddy Scott Springer from
The Inquirer is covering Big twelve Media Days. We'll talk
about the season with him and Gavin Gerhart back for
a sixth the college football season, his third as a
(09:02):
team captain. He'll be with us coming up at five
forty five. Sports headlines are next on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. To traffic, Big Center, you
See Health has expert Draumacare focusing on prevention, treating injuries,
and supporting long term recovering and rehabilitation. Learn more u
seehealth dot com. Watching de Lanes Downtown seventy one north
bound Litel Channel to reading is what we've got. The
(09:32):
two right lanes block traffic is staff and go from
right around to Fort Washington Way and also Springfield Pike
at Town Commons Way. We picked up an accident in
traffic is heavy from Glendale, Milford two seventy five eastpot
Off Amp to seventy five in Kentucky. A crash here
on the ramp my brick Shrimp with traffic.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
This report is
Nineteen and a half for four. This is ESPN fifteen
thirty Moeger, Brendan min and Jhones on baseball is just
about thirty minutes away. John Cunningham, the director of Athletics
at the University of Sincinni Big twelve Media Days are
happening in Frisco, Texas. John, kind enough to give us
a few minutes. It's it's good to have you. As always.
What does the what does the director of athletics do
(00:23):
during a conferences media days?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, number one, you take the team out to at
dinner the night before, and you know, we have four
of our student athletes here and head coach, and so
it's just just great to get to know them a
little bit more and spend some time with them away
from the football facility and away from football. And then
you know, and then Zach Snipe our media relations guys. Great,
He's got me set up talking to some opposing team
(00:51):
radio and in places that we're either going to go
play this year or people that are going to come playoffs,
and so they want to know about Cincinnati and Skyline
and and where to stay and what to do when
they're when they're in town, and so that's kind of
what we do.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
All right, good stuff. This is year three of the
Big twelve. And look, we all know what happened last
season with football, right five and two, and we're feeling
pretty good. Nobody liked how the the end of last
season unfolded. Give us an idea of your level of
confidence in a different outcome in twenty twenty five.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, very confident. I feel really good about where the
program is in terms of the leadership around the program.
You know, I said this to somebody just a minute
ago that our best players are also our leaders, and
you know, Gavin Gerhardt is a great example of that,
you know, a center for us. It's been a three
year captain. I don't know how many three year captains
(01:48):
there are anymore around the country, but three year captain
obviously Dante Corleone and Joe Royer, who I think is
the best tied end of the country. Brendan Horzby coming
back for you know, a second year at Cincinnati, but
he also was a starter at Indiana, says really a
three year starter in college. And so we've got got
a lot of experience and we have some depth that
(02:09):
we didn't have previously. Second year under Tyson Vite on
the defense. So I think we build off the five
and two and we remember that we were were we
can be competitive with anybody in any environment. We're you know,
right there with Texas Tech and beat Arizona State, the
winner of the conference at home. And then we learned
from the end of the year where we where we
(02:31):
trail off, Why did that happen? What can we do different?
How do we stay more healthy? How do we just
stay more more ready to play those those difficult games
come down the stretch. So you know, I'm ready for
the season. I think I think they're really excited about it,
and I'm excited as well.
Speaker 1 (02:48):
I'm excited for the start of the season. I'm excited
for this time of year because I feel like this
is this is the half of the calendar where when
we talk about college football, we actually talk about football.
And so, you know, for for months leading up to this,
it's been about the structure of college football, the playoff,
what's happening with revenue sharing and all that sort of stuff,
And so you hear people say things like, well, college
(03:10):
football is being ruined. I think college football is different.
That's obvious. I think you would agree with that. I
don't believe it's being ruined. What comes to mind when
you hear someone lament the current state of college football
and how it's on the verge of ruination.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Go back to what you said. Once the ball is
kicked off, it's you know, the game is the same
as it's always been. It's a great game. We love it.
The TV ratings are higher than they've ever been. People
love college football for all the right reasons, for all
the reasons that we've always loved it. You know, it's
great competition. The Big Twelve is a league of great parody.
(03:50):
You never know who's going to win the game. We
had more fourth quarter league changes than anybody else in
the country in the Big Twelve. So the game is great.
And we're still dealing with eighteen to twenty two year
old kids that you know, do eighteen to twenty two
year old things on and off the field, and so
that hasn't changed at all. And we're still trying to
grow them as young men and make them great. So
(04:12):
all of that is the same. And there's a new
dynamic in place, and it's you know, revenue share and
the distribution of some of the revenues that have been
earned over years through television money and other things, and
we've got to deal with that and and handle it.
We've got something that's too great to lose. We've got
to protect it. We've got to educate our fan base
(04:32):
on it and make sure that we can continue to
operate college football going forward.
Speaker 1 (04:38):
College football. You know, I hear people complain about it
Sunday through Friday, and then those Saturdays are still awesome.
I know a lot of UC fans want more Saturday
nights at Nippert Stadium. Do you have conversations with people
in the league or the TV partners about maybe a
way to have at least one or two more night
games all the time.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah, And I think it's interesting from an ad perspective,
as I talked to other ads in the conference. You
want to mix. You want to mix. You want some
you know, maybe you have one new game, but then
you have two or three three thirty games and you
have a couple of night games. That's a great mix
of games. And you want to catch you know, your
fan bases at different times just because people have different
things going on. But what you don't want is, you know,
(05:24):
kind of what happened to us last year is we
got a lot of those new games, and then we
went out to Colorado. I remember talking to their ad
Rick Georgian said they got all night games and they
didn't like that either. So you want to you want
to mix, but you certainly want some nippertent night games.
That's important to us. We've expressed that we just frankly
don't have a lot of control over that. So it's
(05:44):
just sort of the way it breaks sometimes and and
you know that's that's part of the deal. But we're
gonna put on a great show and we're gonna try
to take care of our fans and everybody we can,
whether it's at dude or three thirty or at night.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Two years ago a big twelve media day. Cincinnati is
one of the new kids, and then last year there
were a whole bunch of new kids, the Arizona Schools, Utah,
and so it's a little bit different. I guess this
go around with the fact that there's you know, college
football conference realignment is always being talked about, but there's
there's been no drastic change in terms of membership. From
(06:19):
your perspective, Does that make things at least a little
bit more calm, if not a little bit easier.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
It does, and I think we've settled in as a conference.
I think we sort of understand who we are and
what we're about within the sixteen different schools, and it
has made it easier to handle with everything else going on.
We needed something to settle, and it seems like at
least conference realignment for now it's settled. There's always everybody
(06:45):
points to twenty thirty twenty thirty one, when the contracts
for television come up again. That's usually when you have
movement in conference, at least at the Power four or
five level, and so you know that's something that we've
got an eye on. But for now we settled in
with the sixteen Big Twelve teams.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
I know Brett or Mark was talking earlier today, the
commissioner of the Big Twelve, and he'll sort of outline
every year the conferences stands on things like the College
Football Playoff and its structure and how many teams should
be included and how many out large bids and all
that sort of stuff. So there's like the official conference
stance on things like that. How much input do the
(07:25):
individual institutions get on things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
We certainly have input. We've we've talked a lot about
it amongst athletic strictors and presidents, and you know, I
think we we've all gotten to a place. You know,
as we go around the room, everybody really agreed that
the way that we want to approach the college football
playoff going forward is you know, you have to you
(07:51):
have to win to get in. You have to show
yourself on the field. You don't get automatic berths outside
of winning the conference. So you know that that five
eleven model where you have your five your four Power
four conference champions and then you have your one G
five champion as year five, and then you go into
your eleven at largest, that's the model that we like.
(08:13):
We like it because you have to prove yourself on
the field to play, rather than trying to before the
season even starts. A sign the number of flots that
you get per conference.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
I know you have a lot going on. I can't
thank you enough for doing this. Hopefully we can get
caught up before the season starts and then frequently as
the upcoming football season and fall sports season unfolds. We
appreciate the time as always, John, thanks so much.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Always thank you all.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
You got it.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
John Cunningham, director of Athletics at the University of Cincinnati.
Big twelve Media Days happening right now in Frisco, Texas,
twenty eight minutes after four o'clock. We'll go back there
in the five o'clock hour. Our buddy Scott Springer from
The Inquirer is covering Big twelve Media Days. We'll talk
about the season with him and Gavin Gerhart back for
a sixth the college football season, his third as a
(09:02):
team captain. He'll be with us coming up at five
forty five. Sports headlines are next on ESPN fifteen thirty
Cincinnati Sports.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
Station Cincinnati's ESPN fifteen thirty. To traffic, Big Center, you
See Health has expert Draumacare focusing on prevention, treating injuries,
and supporting long term recovering and rehabilitation. Learn more u
seehealth dot com. Watching de Lanes Downtown seventy one north
bound Litel Channel to reading is what we've got. The
(09:32):
two right lanes block traffic is staff and go from
right around to Fort Washington Way and also Springfield Pike
at Town Commons Way. We picked up an accident in
traffic is heavy from Glendale, Milford two seventy five eastpot
Off Amp to seventy five in Kentucky. A crash here
on the ramp my brick Shrimp with traffic.
Speaker 1 (09:50):
This report is
Mo Egger News
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