The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Riverside grad picks Cincinnati grad school
Riverside graduate finishing degree at Bowling Green in July
Cameron Jefferies just turned 20, and he’s about a month from earning his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green.
The Riverside graduate is on the fast track, and that track has him taking his talents from BG to the University of Cincinnati and a graduate student-athlete.
Jefferies, a speedy and talented 5-foot-10, 185-pounder cornerback, expects to graduate from BG at the end of July, and will report to the Bearcats on or around Aug. 1. He chose Cincinnati over Nebraska.
“In my head, (choosing Cincinnati) has been official for a while,” said Jefferies.
The goal of graduating in two years was to transfer, become a graduate student and not have to sit out a year, per NCAA rules, with the hopes of one day playing in the NFL. He’s closing in on the first three. Getting accepted to UC’s marketing graduate school was touch and go for a while. Before he was accepted, Jefferies was asked to take a Graduate Records Exam on five days notice on June 20.
“Some people study for that test for six months,” said Jefferies.
His test results weren’t great, he said, and the marketing department initially balked accepting Jefferies. He was set to enroll in UC’s graduate school for sports administration.
A day later on June 21, Jefferies and department officials had a meet and greet through Skype, and they had a change of heart and accepted Jefferies.
“I think my case (graduating early) and my GPA (better than a 3.0) helped me in that respect,” he said.
Jefferies will enter grad school two years younger than anyone else in the department.
From a football perspective, Jefferies looks like he will have an opportunity to come in and compete for a starters job on Day 1 of preseason camp.
The Bearcats’ secondary lost its top cornerback Linden Stephens, who’s a Euclid grad that signed with the Saints after the NFL Draft. Another key factor for Jefferies: UC’s cornerback coach is Mike Mickens, who coached Jefferies at Bowling Green before joining Coach Luke Fickell’s staff.
“My relationship with Coach Mickens really drove me there,” said Jefferies. “I think he’s one of the best cornerback coaches in the country, and just the person he is. I’ll be surrounded by great coaches.”
Another factor for Jefferies staying in Ohio was giving his family the opportunity to watch him play in person. It extends beyond the Buckeye state as well.
The Bearcats play at Temple Oct. 20, and Jefferies has family in the Philadelphia area. His older sister lives in the Dallas area, and on Oct. 27 UC plays at Southern Methodist, which is located in Dallas.
“It’s great because almost everyone has a chance to come see me play this season,” said Jefferies.