One of the season’s biggest college football games between two of college football’s biggest brands is chock-full of Cincinnati ties.
On Thursday at 4 p.m. Eastern time, No. 7 Notre Dame will square off against No. 2 Georgia in the Allstate Sugar Bowl from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The winner will move on to play No. 6 Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl, which is the College Football playoff semifinal this season.
The Sugar Bowl, originally scheduled to take place New Year’s Day, was postponed after a fatal attack took place in New Orleans’ French Quarter early Wednesday.
Here are the Cincinnati natives that are on one of the Sugar Bowl rosters:
S Taebron Bennie-Powell, Notre Dame (Lakota West)
The freshman safety was a three-year letter-winner at Lakota West under coach Tom Bolden. He’s yet to see the field in his first season with the Fighting Irish.
OL Ashton Craig, Notre Dame (Lawrenceburg)
Craig was Notre Dame’s starting center coming into this season, but he’s missed most of the year after sustaining a left knee injury in the Irish’s 66-7 Week 3 win over Purdue.
Coach Gino Guidugli, Notre Dame (Highlands)
Guidugli, the uncle of Elder senior George Guidugli, graduated from Highlands before playing quarterback at Cincinnati from 2001 to 2004 and later for the Tennessee Titans and in the CFL. He’s in his second season coaching at Notre Dame after seven seasons at Central Michigan and six at Cincinnati.
S Karson Hobbs, Notre Dame (Moeller)
Hobbs, just a freshman, has gotten into nine games for Notre Dame this season, making two tackles and deflecting a pass. He was first team all-state and all-conference at Moeller and earned four varsity letters in both football and track for the Crusaders.
“This moment means the world to him,” said Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany. “He grew up a Notre Dame fan because of his dad (a huge fan), and he’s been waiting for this moment his entire life . . . His best quality is his confidence. He has the exact mindset a shutdown corner should have.”
S Ben Minich, Notre Dame (Lakota West)
Minich, a sophomore, has appeared in eight games this season, recording five tackles, a pass defense and half a sack. He helped the Firebirds to a 13-1 record in 2022.
RB GiBran Payne, Notre Dame (La Salle)
Payne has missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL. In 2023, he ran 45 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns, including one against then-No. 6 Ohio State.
Payne ran 15 times for 133 yards and a touchdown and added four tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble in the 2019 Division II state championship game, which he helped La Salle win over Massillion Washington. That season, he shared the Lancer backfield with Cam Porter, currently a running back at Northwestern.
“GiBran is a great athlete and a great young man,” said La Salle head coach Pat McLaughlin. “… we knew he was a special player from the beginning. He can run with power, speed, he’s shifty and has great balance and vision.”
The Sugar Bowl matchup between the Cincinnati Bearcats and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is sure to be an exciting game, especially for fans who are familiar with both teams. One interesting aspect of this game is the presence of several former Cincinnati players on the Notre Dame roster.
Among the notable Cincinnati players who now suit up for the Fighting Irish are running back Myron Jones, defensive lineman Aidan Harris, and wide receiver Josh Smith. These players will have a unique opportunity to face off against their former teammates and showcase their skills on a national stage.
It will be interesting to see how these former Bearcats perform against their old team and how their familiarity with Cincinnati’s playing style may impact the outcome of the game. Be sure to tune in to the Sugar Bowl to see these Cincinnati alumni in action as they take on their former squad.
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- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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