Coach Luke Fickell and the Cincinnati Bearcats coaching staff have been working hard to build a strong 2020 recruiting class and they have just landed one of their biggest targets as Jaheim Thomas the 4 star OLB out of Princeton High School in Cincinnati, OH announced his commitment today.

Every recruiting class has a prospect or two that takes it to the next level. The 2020 class already features on of the best quarterback prospects in the nation on the offensive side and with the Thomas commitment there is now an elite prospect on the defensive side of the football. The 6-foot-2 ½, 215-pound OLB is a top 5 prospect in the state of Ohio and top 25 OLB in the nation.

There were ultimately some connections between Cincinnati and Jaheim. The first being pretty obvious is that he plays at Princeton High School located in Cincinnati. The second is that his brother, Jiair Thomas, is a Freshman walk-on receiver for the Bearcats. These are two huge factors when it comes to making the decision to stay home. This also points directly to one of the biggest recruiting plans of the coaching staff.

Head Coach Luke Fickell mentioned at the AAC Media Days and on a local radio show earlier this week that he wants to continue to ‘Capture a Community’ as well as build the ‘State of Cincinnati, Our area, Our home’. No better example of this than the heavy recruitment and eventual commitment of Jaheim Thomas. Jaheim is the eighth prospect from the state of Ohio in the 2020 class which is amazing when noticing there is a total of 14 commitments. The local flavor continues to be prominent.

Fickell and Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman were yet again able to hold off the big dogs to get another prized recruit. Along with Cincinnati, Thomas had a final seven of LSU, Tennessee, Michigan State, Louisville, Maryland and Kentucky. The Princeton Viking also held offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan and many many more.

Cincinnati continues their success on the recruiting scene and are not finished yet, but today, July 20th 2019 will always be remembered as the day that the Bearcats got their Princeton One.

Stay tuned to Bearcat Journal for more in depth coverage on Jaheim Thomas and all other things Cincinnati Bearcats.