Northwestern lands grad transfer quarterback Ben Bryant
For the fourth time in five years, Northwestern might have found its starting quarterback through the transfer portal.
Cincinnati quarterback Ben Bryant committed to Northwestern this afternoon as a grad transfer with one year of eligibility remaining. Bryant is an experienced hand at the helm and will head to Evanston with a 16-8 record over his last two seasons as a starter, one at Eastern Michigan in 2021 and the other at Cincinnati in 2022.
He follows in the footsteps of transfers Hunter Johnson (2018), Peyton Ramsey (2020) and Ryan Hilinski (2021), who all started games for the Wildcats.
Bryant figures to challenge Brendan Sullivan for the starting job and, at the very least, be a veteran backup they can rely on should Sullivan get injured. Sullivan played in just five games last season and suffered three injuries, while Hilinski is coming off of offseason surgery.
Bryant threw for 2,732 yards, 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games for the Bearcats last year, leading them to a 9-2 start and a No. 23 ranking before he was sidelined for the rest of the season with a foot injury.
While Bryant may not match the mobility that offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian is looking for in his ideal signal caller, he brings a poise and proven record of success that the Wildcats have not seen since Ramsey transferred in for the 2020 season and led the Wildcats to the Big Ten West division title and an AP Top 10 ranking.
Bryant posted strong stats against Power Five opponents like Arkansas, where he threw for 325 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 26-for-43 passing. His best game of the season was against Indiana, where he dazzled with 354 yards, four touchdowns and an interception in a 45-24 win.
A Chicagoland native from La Grange Lyons Township High School, Bryant spent three seasons at Cincinnati, transferred to Eastern Michigan to be their starter in 2021, then boomeranged back to Cincinnati in 2022. He redshirted in 2018 and appeared in 10 games over the next two seasons for the Bearcats before leaving for the starting job in Ypsilanti. He threw for 3,121 yards, with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Eagles, then returned to the Bearcats the following season.
After losing nine players to the transfer portal since the end of the 2022 season, Bryant is the fourth transfer to commit to the Wildcats, joining wide receiver Cam Johnson (Vanderbilt/Arizona State), defensive end Richie Hagarty (Miami-Ohio, Southern Illinois) and defensive tackle Matt Lawson (Fresno State).
The Wildcats are expected to add more transfers during this second portal window.