Kent State enjoyed one of college football’s most impressive turnarounds in 2025, evolving from winless to a 5-7 team on the brink of bowl eligibility.
One player responsible for the Golden Flashes’ newfound
levels of success was the wide receiver nicknamed “Big Play Cade.” Cade Wolford, who entered the year as a running back, exited as a Third Team All-MAC wide receiver, collecting 509 receiving yards and seven touchdowns to lead Kent State.
After finishing up his redshirt freshman campaign, Wolford is transferring elsewhere in his home state of Ohio, taking on a new challenge at Cincinnati.
Among players with at least 500 receiving yards, Wolford ranked second in the FBS in yards per catch at 26.8. He kicked off the year with a 79-yard touchdown to snap Kent State’s 21-game losing streak and then continued to make home run play after home run play. He also caught a 75-yard touchdown on the opening play vs. Toledo this season — one of three games he produced 85+ yards.
The former running back also took several handoffs, finishing his Kent State career with a 31-yard scamper in Week 14 to knock off Northern Illinois. In total, he produced eight touchdowns and seven were of 29 yards or greater.
Wolford joins a Cincinnati team that lost wide receivers Cyrus Allen and Jeff Caldwell to the draft, and Caleb Goodie to Missouri in the portal. He joins FCS 1,000-yard receiver Larenzo Fenner (South Dakota) in the Bearcats’ replenished receiving corps for 2026.
Cincinnati has become a common home for MAC transfers this January. Bowling Green cornerback MJ Cannon and Northern Illinois free safety Jasper Beeler are among other MAC players brought in by Scott Satterfield and his staff.
For Kent State, it’s time to find new talent at wide receiver. Wolford led the team in receiving yards and Da’Shawn Martin ranked second, and both players entered the portal this January. That leaves Wayne Harris and Ardell Banks as the returning leaders at the position, with 383 and 205 yards in 2025, respectively.
