UC WR:PR Cade Wolford Miami Week Interview

Russell with Cincinnati Bearcats on SI here joined by UC wide receiver punt returner Cade Wolford. Cade first couple tastes of one FBS power conference action and then FCS action first couple weeks of Bearcats football. How are you feeling after a few games at Nipper? It's been incredible man I mean specifically the atmosphere is like pretty unlike anything I've I've experienced for a home game so it's been it's been really cool man to see all the students come out and get rowdy and everything and you know they've really filled filled the stands this these past two weeks of fans so it's it's been an incredible experience I'm very blessed to be here. A lot more involvement in the action in the offense last week is that kind of just a comfortability thing with you kind of getting more in the mix what's what kind of prompted that a little bit and obviously you've been the the premium the first punt returner for the team so far this season. Oh yeah man I think it just uh comes from we're all still kind of trying to earn our spot right now so um been a lot of position battles and everything like that a lot of talented guys in the room so uh as far as opportunity goes I mean I just try to make the most of every opportunity that I'm that I'm blessed with and you know I was blessed with a couple opportunities this past week to go try and earn my spot so very excited about where things are headed with this group I think we got like I said a lot of talented guys uh should be a great year glad to start 2-0. Cade Wolford joining us here on Cincinnati Bearcats on a side Bearcats talk as well the punt returning spot that kind of role what goes through your head how quickly do you have to make that decision to wave it off to kind of make the make the play on the ball and go upfield is that kind of right when it's coming down how do you go through that process in a four to five second hang time? Yeah man it's it's a very very quick process um it's something that Coach Paschal really does a great job with us I mean yeah as soon as I got here you know we had all the guys that could you know have punt return abilities he was getting us all together we did all kinds of different drill work you know just kind of simulating games and simulating being uncomfortable or being under pressure and making decisions and catching the ball and stuff like that all the technique that goes with it so I mean he just he just made it a really uh it's just been really great all the stuff that he's kind of brought and uh taught to us and makes me very confident back there. What was that conversation like with him when you found out that you were going to be that guy back there to return punts and I mean that's a huge huge underrated role for a for a team like the Bearcats and in a conference like the Big 12 where one big play in special teams can be the difference in a lot of these close games you guys are going to be in. Yeah man I was super excited uh it's something that I kind of did in high school but I haven't really had the opportunity to do it in college yet so it's something that when I got here I was like you know I kind of saw that that spot was like you know people were competing for it so I was like oh yeah I want to I want to throw my head in there too you know so I was very excited I'm very blessed with the opportunity just to go out there and do whatever the team needs me to do I mean I came here to win football games simple as that so uh whatever whatever they need me to do whatever they want me to do I'm all for it you know so that's that's really what was kind of going through my head there I was very excited to get that opportunity and still am very excited to be back there so. The experience of the MAAC at Kent State I think did you guys play Miami last year? We did not play them last year we played them my my first year so two years ago we played them at Miami. Prepping for a Chuck Martin team a Chuck Martin led defense is there anything that you could carry over from that experience uh over the last what two years ago yeah to the to this matchup this week? Oh I mean yeah Miami Ohio you know they're always going to be a very well coached team yeah um and I think in any rivalry game you know you're going to get uh that team's absolute best game so we're expecting it to be a game and we're preparing as hard as we possibly can each and every single day to prepare ourselves for that game so what's the message been like from either coach Palazzetti, coach Satterfield, some of the veterans on the team especially those guys who were here in 2023 when things started well 2-0 and then the rivalry loss happened and things cascaded from there what is that kind of group overall message been this week? Oh yeah man they've done a great job of kind of well you know we've got a lot of new transfers a lot of new freshmen that maybe haven't experienced this game they've done a great job of just kind of bring us into the history of the game and tell us kind of how it's gone in the past I mean I kind of remember it you know being an Ohio kid uh coming up through high school recruiting and stuff like that I know that this was a rivalry game but this is obviously my first time playing in it so. Have you been to a battle for the victory bell before? I have not have not been to one before um the only Cincinnati game I've been to prior to uh coming here I think I watched him play Indiana here okay um would have been four or five years ago now so oh yeah I haven't haven't got the opportunity to see this game but I've been around both programs obviously um and I'm very excited to play in this game man it's going to be fun. The if you guys were to win it is there like a hierarchy on who gets to ring the bell are you trying to get your name in there how does that look like is it whoever makes the biggest plays of the game or is it going to be the big fellas carrying it on the field and only they get to kind of ring it around what's that look man I don't I don't really know I couldn't I couldn't tell you that it's just gonna be heat of the moment yeah heat of the moment uh whatever whatever guy's coming to decide or who knows maybe someone just runs up and rings it I have no idea so hopefully we get to see you know is it high school the last time you played on real grass is that is that the last time um no I I played at Tennessee I played at Oklahoma okay um some other bigger schools you know down south that can kind of have you know very well-kept grass field so I played there with Kent State and yeah I've played on grass a couple times is there any real difference that you feel especially as a guy who relies on his speed his cutting his agility ability to get around out there on these surfaces um I mean I think it just kind of depends on like the specific field I mean there's obviously better or worse grass fields um this one anticipated to be really really well yeah yeah yeah I honestly really like grass um you know I don't know if necessarily prefer it over turf or not but it's very close like it is a different surface but um I enjoy playing on grass especially when it's well kept like Tennessee and Oklahoma those fields were were beautiful I really enjoyed playing on them um yeah I'm excited to see what this one's like Bengals legend Anthony Munoz led you guys out on the field week one or week two you had the Kelsey brothers you had the Connor Barwin you had the old great alums leading on in week one was there any kind of earlier message was there any interaction with you guys before so or is it just kind of really cool to have them kind of there at the end of the tunnel ready to lead you guys on the field and that might be a thing all season who knows who knows what else what the game ops team has up their sleeve next yeah uh I believe Anthony Munoz maybe uh spoke to our offensive line okay prior to that not really sure but uh yeah it's been super cool to see all these alumni and you know pretty famous people uh very well-known people that have been uh coming to these games and stuff like that it's been it's been pretty cool man this is this is a special place you can tell so Dave Wolford you see my receiver everybody