BYU is about to meet ‘The Godfather’ in Cincinnati

When there is a defensive lineman on the other team nicknamed “The Godfather,” you probably should give that man a double-take during game prep.

Cincinnati defensive lineman Dontay Corleone meets that criteria.

Sure, he shares a last name with the most famous mafia movie character of all time. But this Godfather should be feared for his own merits: He’s a 6-foot-2, 318-pound (he once played closer to 350) enforcer who is worthy of his nickname.

“You talk about Corleone, he is a presence on the line of scrimmage,” BYU head coach Kalani Sitake said. “They use him on offense [too]. ... You can see that front seven, that defensive line, is going to be a tough matchup.”

Through four games, Corleone has 13 tackles and two sacks. Against Oklahoma last week, he had six tackles and got to quarterback Dillon Gabriel once.

Notably, the high-powered Oklahoma offense scored only 20 points against Cincinnati. Corleone is a big reason for that.

“The front three, the front seven, are really talented,” BYU quarterback Kedon Slovis said.

Off the field, Corleone’s size, skill and surname have landed him multiple NIL deals with pizza shops and other restaurants around Cincinnati naming menu items “The Godfather.”

Will he eat up the Cougs?

“[Corleone] is as good of a player as I’ve seen in several years. He is outstanding,” offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said.

This seems like an inopportune time for BYU to see Corleone. The Cougars have already struggled to run the ball well. Last week they had negative yards at one point in the third quarter. Slovis, meanwhile, has been hit and hurried against Arkansas and Kansas.

But ready or not, BYU will meet “The Godfather” on Friday night.

Quick hits:

• Former BYU basketball coach Jeff Judkins talked about the end of his tenure in Provo, saying his retirement wasn’t all his decision.

• Why a loss to Kansas was the least of BYU’s concerns leaving Lawrence.

• QB Kedon Slovis threw it 51 times at KU. Where is his running game and/or is this pass-heavy sustainable in the Big 12?

Around the Big 12

Baylor — Dave Aranda insists Baylor has the roster to compete in the Big 12. It didn’t look it against Texas (and a third loss).

UCF — Lost its opener to one of the best teams in the Big 12. Why there shouldn’t be much fear after the KSU road defeat.

Cincinnati — Couldn’t get anything going offensively against OU. What were some of the issues before heading to Provo this Friday?

Houston — Had a get-right week against Sam Houston. It handled the Bearkats much better than BYU did.

Iowa State — After a disastrous start to the year, the offense is slowly coming together. A Big 12 win has the Cyclones right in the mix.

Kansas — Can win the Big 12 outright, says one Big 12 writer.

Kansas State — Do the Wildcats look like a Top 25 team to you?

Oklahoma — The OU-Texas build up is starting two weeks early.

Oklahoma State — Thinks it can fix its downward spiral to the bottom of the conference. But it doesn’t look great.

TCU — Seems content to be getting rid of rival SMU from its future plans. It soundly beat the Mustangs last week.

Texas — Looks to comfortably be one of the best teams in country, not just the conference.

Texas Tech — Can the Red Raiders eventually become who they were thought to be this season?

West Virginia — Neal Brown is moving himself off the hot seat.