Elder High School’s star quarterback is staying in Cincinnati — just at a bigger program. Kaden Estep announced his commitment to the University of Cincinnati in a social media post on November 1, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported, flipping a commitment he had made to Miami University in February.
Estep, a three-star prospect, is likely to finish his career as Elder’s best statistical quarterback in program history, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He became the school’s leader in career passing yards during the regular-season finale against Mount Zion Prep, reaching 6,861 yards over three seasons and passing 2016 graduate Peyton Ramsey, now Elder’s offensive coordinator, the Enquirer reported. He is also just three touchdown passes away from the career passing touchdowns record of 56, set by 2010 graduate Mark Miller.
The numbers behind the flip are in his 2026 season. Estep has thrown for 2,523 yards while completing 73.5 percent of his passes, with 26 touchdowns against just three interceptions, and he has added 780 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. He has been in the thick of Ohio’s Mr. Football race and led Elder to an 8-2 record and the No. 2 seed in the Division I Southwest region playoffs.
Last season, Estep led Elder to an undefeated regular season and the regional finals and was named to the All-Ohio first team, according to the Enquirer. That body of work is what made his February commitment to Miami notable — and what makes the flip a significant in-state recruiting swing.
Flipping to Cincinnati gives Estep the chance to play at a power-conference school, the Cincinnati Enquirer noted. The Bearcats, part of the Big 12, made national headlines with an upset of then-No. 8 Texas Tech on October 24. Head coach Scott Satterfield is in his fourth season at Cincinnati, with a 19-24 record there and a best finish of 7-6 in 2025, when the Bearcats were ranked as high as 17th in the AP Poll, the Enquirer reported.
Estep is the second high-profile Cincinnati high school recruit to decommit from the RedHawks this season, joining Princeton’s Jordan Hall, who flipped to Penn State on October 24, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Miami, 5-3 so far in 2026, has reached three consecutive Mid-American Conference championship games. What happens next for Estep is more immediate than signing day: Elder’s playoff run, and a school passing-touchdowns record that is three throws away.