Loveland Magazine file photo of Drew Plitt visiting Loveland High School in 2018
Loveland, Ohio –The Cincinnati Bengals signed former Loveland High School standout, QB Drew Plitt to their practice squad today. Plitt (6-2, 217), a first-year player out of Ball State University, originally was a college free agent signee of the Bengals in 2022. He played in two preseason games for Cincinnati in 2022 before being waived, and was not with an NFL team during the ’22 regular season and ’23 offseason. Plitt played in five games for the Arlington Renegades of the XFL during the 2023 season.
The Bengals play the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 PM in Paycor Stadium this Sunday.
Drew Plitt QB’d the Loveland Tigers when they won the State Championship in 2013
Loveland, Ohio – Geoff Hobson the Senior Writer for Bengals.com reported yesterday, “Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said after Friday’s practice that they’ll be without quarterback Joe Burrow for several weeks and wouldn’t say what that means for the Sept. 10 opener in Cleveland.”
Drew Plitt (Loveland Magazine file photo)
Chris Roling in the Bengals Wire wrote yesterday, “In the wake of the injury to quarterback Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had confirmed the team will add another quarterback to take training camp and preseason reps with Trevor Siemian and Jake Browning.
“Not too long after that revelation, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Bengals hosted quarterbacks Reid Sinnett and Drew Plitt on workouts.
“Plitt is the name Bengals fans will recognize. A Loveland High School product, Plitt was with the team last summer before going on to find success in the XFL.”
Ian Rapoport the “National Insider for NFL Network and http://NFL.com.” has reported, “With #Bengals QB Joe Burrow sidelined for several weeks with a calf strain, Cincy is working out two former XFL QBs — Reid Sinnett and Drew Plitt (who was with the #Bengals in camp last year).
There has been no official statement about Pitt from the Bengals.
Plitt has been with the Arlington Renegades of the the XFL.
Plitt has previous experience playing in the pre-season opener for the Bengals. Loveland Magazine reported in August, 2022, “The only thing that stopped six-for-six Bengal rookie Drew Plitt Friday night at the 2022 pre-season opener in the newly renamed Paycor Stadium was when he found the endzone via a 25 yd. floater to wide-receiver Kendric Pryor. Plitt threw for 77 yds with a perfect rating of 158.33. Plitt completed the Bengals’ first touchdown in Paycor Stadium history.” (Only one thing stopped six-for-six Bengal rookie Drew Plitt Friday…)
Plitt went to high school in Loveland, Ohio where he played quarterback for the Tigers. His biggest achievement at Loveland was leading the school to the 2013 Division II state title which was the school’s first state championship ever. In 2015, he threw for over 1,400 yards with 15 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in ten games. He was the team captain and was honorable mention all-district as a senior.
Drew Plitt has been with the Arlington Renegades since day one, but his past success is what has brought him here to the XFL as one of the few rookie quarterbacks.
High School Football Experience
Photo by The Enquirer
Plitt went to high school in Loveland, Ohio where he played quarterback for the Tigers. His biggest achievement at Loveland was leading the school to the 2013 Division II state title which was the school’s first state championship ever. In 2015, he threw for over 1,400 yards with 15 passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in ten games. He was the team captain and was honorable mention all-district as a senior.
“Drew’s quarterback style and talent will allow him to be crazy successful there. Ball State is getting a championship, high character quarterback. Ball State loves his talent and style, his leadership and quarterback intangibles.”
Loveland Head Football Coach Fred Cranford via Cincinnati.com
Ball State Experience
Photo by Mike DiNovoUSA TODAY Sports
In his first year in college back in 2016, Plitt was redshirted for the season as a freshman. The next year in 2017, he started the season as the fourth quarterback on the depth chart. Due to injuries to the quarterback position, Plitt was forced into action and played in the last five games of the season starting three of them. He finished his first season with 430 passing yards and three touchdowns along with three interceptions. Plitt also ran for 29 yards and one touchdown in the season.
Watch as Drew Plitt is announced by the Arlington Renegades as their pick at quarterback for the 2023 season. ESPN’s Stormy Buonantony, XFL Head Coach Bob Stoops officially announced the team’s quarterback. Plitt will play in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades play their home games at Choctaw Stadium.
The Arlington Renegades announced their selections of Kyle Sloter and Drew Plitt as the team’s two quarterbacks for the upcoming season
Cincinnati, Ohio – The only thing that stopped six-for-six Bengal rookie Drew Plitt Friday night at the 2022 pre-season opener in the newly renamed Paycor Stadium was when he found the endzone via a 25 yd. floater to wide-receiver Kendric Pryor. Plitt threw for 77 yds with a perfect rating of 158.33. Plitt completed the Bengals’ first touchdown in Paycor Stadium history.
Speaking about Joe Burrows and which backup quarterback will get another chance, Geoff Hobson said on Bengals.com, “If it is, Plitt, the suburban Cincinnati product from Loveland, went storybook. He threw the Bengals’ first touchdown in Paycor Stadium history. He hit all six passes as a Bengal for a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Kendric Pryor, his first in the NFL, too.” Hobson also said, “it seems inevitable Plitt may have played his last game for his hometown team.”
“Just excitement. Thrill. For me, it’s a dream come true,” Plitt said on bengals.com. “I know it’s a cliché, but I’m going to say it all the time. Growing up in this city and being able to come to work every day, and it’s really not a job if you look at it the way I am. It’s awesome.”
In his post-game press conference Head Coach, Zac Taylor said it was as big a crowd as he’s ever seen for a pre-season home opener. “Probably the best I’ve ever been around. It’s awesome. It really is. You could feel the energy and excitement.”
Plitt (6-2, 206), a rookie out of Ball State University, played in 46 career games for the Cardinals with 36 starts and completed 777 of 1246 passes (62.4 percent) for 9062 yards and 68 TDs. He also rushed for 423 yards and 14 TDs.
Plitt, who participated at the Bengals’ rookie minicamp in May as a tryout player, is from Loveland, Ohio, and played at Loveland High School, where he set a school record for career TD passes (42) and in 2013 led the team to a 14-0 record and the Ohio Division II state championship.
Loveland, Ohio – The Bengals today signed college free agent QB Drew Plitt and waived CB John Brannon. In addition, G Alex Cappa and HB Samaje Perine have been cleared to practice and removed from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list.
Drew Plitt at a Loveland High School basketball game in 2018.
Plitt (6-2, 206), a rookie out of Ball State University, played in 46 career games for the Cardinals with 36 starts and completed 777 of 1246 passes (62.4 percent) for 9062 yards and 68 TDs. He also rushed for 423 yards and 14 TDs.
Plitt, who participated at the Bengals’ rookie minicamp in May as a tryout player, is from the Greater Cincinnati area and played at Loveland High School in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference, where he set a school record for career TD passes (42) and in 2013 led the Tigers to a 14-0 record and the Ohio Division II state championship.
Drew Plitt quarterbacked the Ohio Division II state championship team in 2013 for Loveland High School. An undefeated 14-0 Tiger season.
The Ball State football team’s historical checklist for 2020 is nearly complete.
Win the MAC West Division for the first time since 2008? Check.
Win the overall MAC championship for the first time since 1996? Check.
It had been a while, but both of those things has been accomplished before. This last one, the final box, has not. A bowl victory.
For a team that has already achieved so much in this unique year, a win over No. 19 San Jose State in Thursday’s Offerpad Arizona Bowl would further cement its legacy in Ball State annals.
“It’s monumental for us,” senior cornerback Antonio Phillips said. “But we’ve been preparing for every game like it’s a championship game all year.”
All this in a season that looked like it might not happen. The MAC was the first FBS conference to postpone its football season because of concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic and the last to announce its return.
When the Cardinals finally took the field on Nov. 4, they were dealt an early blow, falling in the final seconds at rival Miami (Ohio). But the loss only galvanized the veteran team more. The Cardinals were undeterred and kept their sights fixed on the goal of a MAC championship.
Doing it on the ground at times and through the air at times all while getting tougher and tougher on defense each week, Ball State rattled off one win after another — six in all — culminating with their 38-28 victory over undefeated No. 23 Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game. Now, on the final day of 2020, BSU will look to check that final box.
“We were on a mission to get ourselves to Detroit, and that was such a great feeling when that clock hit zero,” head coach Mike Neu said. “To have that celebration with our team in the locker room was special. We’ve worked hard for this … Our next goal that lies ahead is to win the first bowl game in the history of our program.”
Ball State isn’t hiding from that fact or from being an underdog again this week against the ranked Spartans. It’s a role the team has embraced all season long since it was picked to finish fourth of six teams in the MAC West Division.
Fueled by that, by how close they were last year and by a brotherhood of togetherness, the 2020 Cardinals are champions and are still looking for more. This bowl trip to Arizona is both a reward and an opportunity, and they are not taking it for granted.
“Last year we were at home watching people play bowl games, we were at home watching conference championships,” running back Tye Evans said. “This was the year of, ‘Hey, we’re not doing that anymore. We don’t want to go home early and sit and watch people play football. We want to continue to play football as long as we can.’”
As long as they can is New Year’s Eve, one way or another. Might as well write a little more history.
Plitt and the Cardinals play on CBS New Years Eve December 31 | 12pm MST/2pm EST
Ball State takes down nationally-ranked Buffalo for first league title since 1996
“I’m speechless,” Plitt said. “Back in 2016, we said we would be the ones to change the program. There were some tough times. We stuck through it and here we are now – champions.”
Drew Plitt was named Offensive Player Player of the Game
Plitt and the Cardinals play on CBS New Years Eve December 31 | 12pm MST/2pm EST in the Arizona Bowl
Detroit – Resilience. Toughness. Togetherness. Every superlative and description available for a championship team, Ball State earned it. The Cardinals are conference champions.
Drew Plitt played football at Loveland High School and led the 2013 Tigers to a Division II state title.
Loveland High School sophomore, Drew Plitt was 5 for 5 passing for the game, with two touchdown throws in the first half, one to freshman,Tre Heath for 22 yards and one to Jake Elfers for 12 – in the 41-23 Division II State Championship victory over Glenville on Dec. 6.
The team rallied around the mantra “Detroit or Bust.” The Cardinals made that a reality. And when they got there, they delivered a primetime performance against a nationally-ranked team featuring the nation’s top-ranked offense, outgunning MAC East champion Buffalo 38-28 Friday night at Ford Field.
“The credit goes to our young men,” head coach Mike Neu said. “I told the guys before we left the hotel that this might be the only chance they get to play in a game like this. We earned ourselves a MAC Championship. I might not ever leave Ford Field tonight.”
The Cardinals (6-1) exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, building a lead good enough to last. Trailing 14-7 after the first quarter, Drew Plitt scored on 4th & goal from the 1 to tie the game and the Cardinals took off from there. Buffalo (5-1) matched and went up 21-14, but the Cardinals ripped off 21 straight points over a span of 5:07 to build a 35-21 lead.
Plitt tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to Justin Hall to tie the game at 21, and after a stop on defense, Ball State took the lead. Plitt found a wide open Jalen McGaughy for a 56-yard score and Ball State would never trail again. One of the biggest plays came minutes later on a strip sack by Jimmy Daw. The ball ended up in the hands of Christian Albright, who ran 34 yards on the fumble return. That gave Ball State a 35-21 lead at halftime.
Leading by double digits, the game slowed in the second half. Ball State was able to stymie Buffalo and almost completely halt the Bulls’ vaunted rushing attack. The Cardinals held a 166-134 advantage on the ground over Buffalo, a team that came into the game averaging 344 rushing yards per game.
“Our defense does not get enough credit. They rose to the challenge,” Neu said. “They were leading the country in rushing and scoring. It was talked about over and over. In our building, we preached how you can’t beat getting 11 hats to the football. I love our defense. I would take them over anybody in the country. I’m proud of the job Tyler Stockton and the defensive staff has done. Our guys responded to the challenge.”
Drew Plitt was named Offensive Player of the Game after throwing for 263 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for another score. Daw (defensive) and Nathan Snyder (special teams) were the other players of the game. In addition to the impactful strip sack, Daw had three tackles for loss and blocked a field goal in the second quarter when the game appeared to be a shootout on both sides. Snyder punted six times for an average of 45.2 yards, including a 54-yarder.
Drew Plitt with the Offensive Player of the Game Trophy (Photo by David Dermer)
“I’m speechless,” Plitt said. “Back in 2016, we said we would be the ones to change the program. There were some tough times. We stuck through it and here we are now – champions.”
Tye Evans rushed for 94 yards on 18 carries and Hall added 55 yards on the ground. Tyler led the Cardinals with 91 yards on six receptions and the first-quarter touchdown. Dating back to last season, Tyler has nine touchdowns in his last eight games. Buffalo’s Antonio Nunn caught 13 passes for 182 yards.
The Ball State football team is less than a week away from its matchup with No. 19 San Jose State in the Offerpad Arizona Bowl.
The Cardinals and Spartans will kick off New Year’s Eve at noon MT (2 p.m. ET) from Arizona Stadium in Tucson on CBS and WLBC.
The matchup is notable for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is head coach Mike Neu‘s Cardinals seeking to take care of “unfinished business” as they play for the program’s first bowl victory.
Conference champs collide The Arizona Bowl is one of only two bowl games this season pitting two conference champions. The other is the College Football Playoff Semifinal between Clemson and Ohio State at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
Ball State won the MAC Championship for the first time since 1996 by winning its last six games and taking down Buffalo in the conference title game. San Jose State went undefeated through the Mountain West Conference and beat Boise State in its championship game.
Another ranked opponent After posting its first win over a ranked opponent since 2012 with its victory over No. 23 Buffalo in the MAC Championship Game, Ball State gets a crack at another one this week. The Cardinals are looking for back-to-back wins over ranked opponents for the first time. They have actually never played ranked opponents in consecutive games.
San Jose State is ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25, No. 20 in the Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. For its part, Ball State is receiving votes in both the AP and coaches polls.
Preparing for tough defense San Jose State ranks 13th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 17.9 points per game, and has not surrendered more than 24 points in a game this season. The Spartans are holding opponents to an average of 111 yards on the ground and 338 total. They boast the best defense Ball State will have faced this season, statistically. But not just statistically.
“And the film shows this is the best defense we’ve played,” Neu said. “It starts with the guys up front. They’re very good against the run. They’re very good against the pass. They get after the quarterback. This is a complete defense. And really you talk about the team, this is a very balanced football team, very well-coached.”
On the rise Both of these programs have followed a similar trajectory to become conference champions. Neu’s Cardinals and Brent Brennan’s Spartans both won just two games in 2017 but have steadily built to this point. Both teams finished 5-7 last season, knocking on the door of bowl eligibility, before busting that door down this year.
Making history The Arizona Bowl is the first bowl game to feature two female athletic directors — Ball State’s Beth Goetz and San Jose State’s Marie Tuite — and a female bowl director — Kym Adair. Caitlin Schmidt of the Arizona Daily Star detailed the noteworthy happening.
There are 11 female ADs at the FBS level, and four of those are in the MAC: Goetz, Amy Folan of Central Michigan, Julie Cromer of Ohio and Kathy Beauregard of Western Michigan.
Versus the Mountain West Ball State and San Jose State will be meeting for the first time. BSU is playing its first game against the Mountain West Conference since the league began operations in 1999.
The Cardinals played three of the league’s teams — all in bowl games — before the formation of the MWC. The Cardinals squared off with Fresno State in the 1989 California Raisin Bowl, Utah State in the 1993 Las Vegas Bowl and Nevada in the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl.
Ball State was originally scheduled to play a Mountain West opponent this season, but the Cardinals’ home game with Wyoming was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Not your typical bowl prep In a typical year, teams would have somewhere in the neighborhood of a month to prepare for a bowl game. Not so this year. The Arizona Bowl comes 13 days after Ball State last took the field in the MAC Championship Game. It feels more like a welcome late-season bye week. In this sprint of a season, the Cardinals played seven times in 45 days between their Nov. 4 opener and the Dec. 18 MAC Championship Game.
“When you play what we’ve played so far without really having a bye week, guys need a couple extra days here to get bumps and bruises healed up the best they can,” Neu said. “There are guys selling out week in and week out who are simply sore and banged up. It’s really been helpful that way to have a couple extra days off.”
Cassie Mattia is the Associate Editor of Loveland Magazine and lives in Historic Downtown Loveland
by Cassie Mattia
Loveland, Ohio – A former Loveland Tiger stand-out student-athlete will get the opportunity to showcase his football skills on the CBS Sports Network on Wednesday, November 4th!
Drew Plitt, Loveland High School graduate, and now Ball State University’s quarterback will be facing MAC Champion Miami for their season-opener, as the 2020 season was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, at 7 PM.
On top of being showcased on National television, Plitt was nominated for two very prestigious college football awards. Plitt was placed on the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award just two weeks after being placed on the watch list for the Manning Award, which recognizes the top-performing quarterback in America.
In a near blizzard, Drew Plitt quarterbacked the Loveland Tigers to a 41 – 23 win over Glenville at Canton’s Fawcett Stadium to win the Div II State Championship in 2013. The temperature was 28 degrees, the wind was 5-10 mph, and steady snow kept plows busy clearing the Canton Fawcett Stadium yard lines throughout the game. Dec. 6, 2013.
Before Plitt headed to Ball State himself to play football he was a top-notch student-athlete at Loveland High School. Plitt was a member of the National Honor Society all while earning multiple awards in both basketball and football. As a Junior Plitt was Team Captain, MVP, and First-Team All-Conference in basketball. In football, Plitt received All-Conference twice as well as Honorable Mention All-District as a Senior. Plitt helped lead the Loveland Tigers to a 2013 state title and still has the school record for career passing touchdowns (42).
It was announced recently the Plitt’s college football team, Ball State University will have their first three games nationally televised! On Wednesday, November 4th you can catch the Cardinals playing their rival Miami on the CBS Sports Network at 7 PM, and then one week later on November 11th you can watch BSU as they host Eastern Michigan at 7 PM. The third game on BSU’s six regular-season game schedule will be played on November 18th against Northern Illinois at 7 PM. This particular game will be broadcasted on ESPN2, ESPNU, or CBS Sports Network.
According to BSU’s website, “The TV designation for the NIU game and designations and kick times for all three of the Cardinals’ Saturday contests to close the regular season will be announced 12 days before each game. The three Saturday games will appear on CBS Sports Network or an ESPN platform. The MAC Football Championship Game will air Friday, Dec. 18 on ESPN or ESPN2. As always, all BSU football games can be heard on the Ball State Radio Network on 104.1 WLBC.”
We wish Drew Plitt the best of luck for the up and coming BSU Football Season! We can’t wait to see all the awards and accomplishments he racks up! Check out BSU’s Football schedule below and what platform each game will be televised on.
2020 Ball State Football Schedule
Wed., Nov. 4 (7 p.m.) at Miami (Oxford, Ohio) – CBS Sports Network (CBSSN)
Loveland, Ohio – A former LHS student-athlete has found himself on another prestigious list for excelling in the game of football! Ball State redshirt Senior, Drew Plitt, was placed on the watch list for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award just two weeks after being placed on the watch list for the Manning Award, which recognizes the top-performing quarterback in America.
The Golden Arm Award was named after Johnny Unitas, an 18-year NFL veteran, who began his stellar football career with the Baltimore Colts in 1958. Unitas was not only responsible for creating football’s 2-minute drill he also racked up some very impressive stats throughout his career.
The recipient for the Golden Arm Award each year is selected by the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee. The top Senior quarterback is chosen based on their performance on and off the field. This year Plitt joins Kent State’s Dustin Crum on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list. Plitt and Crum are the only MAC quarterbacks on the list.
2020 Golden Arm Award Watch List
Jack Abraham, Southern Miss Jake Bentley, Utah James Blackman, Florida State Ian Book, Notre Dame Alan Bowman, Texas Tech Myles Brennan, LSU Charlie Brewer, Baylor Chase Brice, Duke Anthony Brown, Oregon Shane Buechele, SMU Sean Clifford, Penn State Jack Coan, Wisconsin K.J. Costello, Mississippi State Dustin Crum, Kent State Micale Cunningham, Louisville Sam Ehlinger, Texas Justin Fields, Ohio State Feleipe Franks, Arkansas Chase Garbers, California Jarrett Guarantano, Tennessee Donald Hammond III, Air Force Sam Hartman, Wake Forest Hendon Hooker, Virginia Tech Josh Jackson, Maryland Mac Jones, Alabama D’Eriq King, Miami
Trevor Lawrence, Clemson Levi Lewis, Louisiana Adrian Martinez, Nebraska Dylan McCaffery, Michigan Davis Mills, Stanford Kellen Mond, Texas A & M Tanner Morgan, Minnesota Jamie Newman, Georgia Patrick O’Brien, Colorado State Asher O’Hara, Middle Tennessee Brandon Peters, Illinois Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Drew Plitt, Ball State Brock Purdy, Iowa State Peyton Ramsey, Northwestern Shawn Robinson, Missouri Anthony Russo, Temple Nick Starkel, San Jose State Zach Smith, Tulsa Zac Thomas, Appalachian State Skylar Thompson, Kansas State Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA Kyle Trask, Florida Brady White, Memphis Zach Wilson, BYU Terry Wilson, Kentucky
After the MAC made the decision to postpone all scheduled fall contests in 2020, as well as MAC championships, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Plitt expressed his feelings on the cancellation and the honor of being placed on the Golden Arm watchlist.
“This has been an unexpected and frustrating year for us and the cancellation of the season was extremely disappointing. The team was playing really well having a lot of fun and enjoying the little bit of normal we were experiencing when on the field for practice,” Plitt explained, “For all us, football is an escape from reality, a time to forget everything else in the world, put on the helmet and pads and be a kid again and it’s very disappointing and very frustrating that we won’t be playing and really didn’t have much say in the entire decision making. The award watchlist is a tremendous honor and really a testament to my teammates because, without them, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. It’s awesome to be apart of the watchlist but I’ve got other things on my mind like winning a MAC championship first and foremost! That’s what our team wants, the awards come when a team performs great and wins.”
Plitt’s parents Steve and Julie said they couldn’t be prouder of their son’s accomplishments and hope they will get to see him play his final college season.
“As Drew moves through each phase of his sports career and life he continues to amaze me and make me proud. This is just another example,” Julie Plitt said, “He is privileged to have great coaches and players to help him in this journey.”
Bryce, Julie, Marie, Steve, and Drew Plitt at Marie’s volleyball Senior night in 2019
“For me personally, being raised and growing up in Baltimore, this resonates deeply inside. Johnny Unitas went to our church and I saw him there often,” Steve Plitt explained, “His youngest son graduated from the same high school as I did. Johnny Unitas was the pinnacle of success in Baltimore, not for just being maybe the best QB of all time, but his time off the field spent in the community helping others. My roots are from Baltimore, and I know that there is a little of that ‘blue-collar’ Baltimore grit in Drew’s spirit as well. Johnny U was my father’s favorite QB, Drew never had the chance to meet his grandfather, so in some way this connection is both humbling and very, very special for me.”
Here at Loveland Magazine, we want to congratulate Drew Plitt for representing Loveland in such a positive way! We admire Plitt’s hard work and dedication and commend his parents for raising such a top-notch student-athlete! We will be rooting for you Drew when you get back out on the field!
For more of Ohio and Loveland’s sports updates stay tuned to the Sports 411 With ME, Cassie Mattia!
Photo by The Enquirer
