Renfro: Bring on the Tide
Starting at center for No. 4 Cincinnati, Providence grad welcomes showdown vs. top-ranked Alabama
A big guy from Providence will be helping Cincinnati represent the little guy in the College Football Playoff semifinals.
Jake Renfro, a Mokena native who starred for the Celtics, is a sophomore starting center for the No. 4 Bearcats, who go into the Cotton Bowl against No. 1 Alabama on New Year’s Eve as the ultimate Cinderella — the first team from outside the Power Five conferences to make the playoffs.
“We’re really excited as a team,” Renfro said. “This is the first time, not only in Cincinnati history, but Group of Five history, that a Group of Five team is playing in the playoff. We’re starting to prepare for the game, and we’re ready to go beat Alabama.
“We’ve made history, and it’s kind of putting the Group of Five schools on the map, which is such a big thing going forward. I know a lot of schools are happy for us and what we’re doing.”
Cincinnati (13-0), which won the American Athletic Conference championship game, will play SEC champ Alabama (12-1) at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 31. No. 2 Michigan (12-1) will play No. 3 Georgia (12-1) in the Orange Bowl at 6:30 p.m.
Renfro can’t wait to step on the field and experience the big-game atmosphere that his father, Rick, has often told him about. Rick Renfro played in the Rose Bowl for Illinois.
“It’s a dream come true,” Jake Renfro said. “I heard the stories about my dad playing in the Rose Bowl, and now he’s living his dream through me, watching me play in the Cotton Bowl. It’s going to be an amazing experience.”
The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Renfro was a dominant force at Providence. He committed to Cincinnati with confidence that it was a program on the rise.
“When I committed to Cincinnati, they were already a really good football team,” he