Desmond Ridder

Desmond Ridder was not a highly touted prospect coming out of Louisville (Ky,) St. Xavier. But he will leave Cincinnati as one of its best quarterbacks in history. He was the No. 1304 recruit in the retroactive On3 Consensus. Ridder redshirted his first year on campus. He was the AAC Rookie of Year in 2018 as a redshirt freshman. He led the Bearcats to 11 wins for the second straight year in 2019. In 2020, he led Cincinnati to an undefeated regular season and was named AAC Offensive Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Manning Award. Ridder is the son of Sarah Ridder, who gave birth to her son when she was 15 years old. Ridder’s daughter Leighton was born in April 2021 to his longtime girlfriend Claire Cornett.