Joe Cotton holds the LT · Starter spot in Cincinnati Bearcats’s offensive line room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Joe Cotton is a left tackle from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who played three seasons at South Dakota before transferring to Cincinnati. At South Dakota, he earned All-Newcomer Team honors in 2022 and Second Team All-Conference in 2023, along with Phil Steele Freshman All-America recognition that year. He started 27 games over his final two seasons with the Coyotes, helping lead an offensive line that supported the sixth-ranked FCS rushing attack (215.9 yards per game) and ninth-ranked offense (436.9 yards per game) in 2024. Cotton joined Cincinnati after spring ball and started all 13 games in 2025, earning Big 12 Offensive Line of the Week honors. He was part of a Bearcats unit that allowed only eight sacks, second nationally, and was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award.

South Dakotathrough 2024

Cincinnati2025 — present