Big news for 2021 Notre Dame opponent

Notre Dame’s game against Cincinnati in 2021 just got that much harder as Desmond Ridder announced his return on Friday.

One of the best stories in college football in 2020 was the Cincinnati Bearcats who went unbeaten in the regular season before taking Georiga to the wire in the Peach Bowl.

A last-second field goal ultimately kept the Bearcats from a perfect season but it was a great year nonetheless for a program that continues to impress.

That program is set to make their first trip to Notre Dame Stadium in 2021 and that game didn’t get any easier for the Fighting Irish on Friday as it was announced that Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder will return for a final year.

The 6-4, 215 pound Ridder has thrown for over 6,900 yards in his three seasons at Cincinnati while throwing for 57 touchdowns and rushing for 22 more, 12 of which came this past fall.

Ridder also completed over 66% of his pass attempts this past year.

Related: An early look at Notre Dame’s 2021 football schedule