Dontay Corleone (born August 7, 2002) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. Though they will move to the Big 12 Conference (XII) the teams are currently a part of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which from 1979 ...

. He is nicknamed "The Godfather" due to his surname.

Early life and high school career

Corleone grew up in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, as one of four children to a single mother. He attended Colerain High School, where as a senior he was named a member of the All-Ohio first team. A three-star prospect, Corleone committed to play college football at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

, his childhood team.

College career

Corleone would redshirt in his first season with the Bearcats. In 2022, he would have a breakout season, emerging as Cincinnati's top lineman, recording 44 tackles and two forced fumbles. At the conclusion of the 2022 season Corleone was named to the All-AAC first team and was tabbed as a freshman All-American by several media outlets. Following the departure of coach

Luke Fickell Luke Joseph Fickell (born August 18, 1973) is an American football coach and former player. He will be the head coach for the Wisconsin Badgers starting in December 2022. Previously he was the head football coach at the University of Cincinnati, ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, Corleone elected to stay at Cincinnati, citing his loyalty to the program and love for the city of Cincinnati. Prior to the 2023 season he was named a preseason first team All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

References

External links

Cincinnati Bearcats bio
Living people Players of American football from Cincinnati American football defensive tackles Cincinnati Bearcats football players 2002 births {{defensive-lineman-stub