That is clearly no longer the case, and today's news of 4-star La Salle ATH Jarell White's commitment to the Bearcats may just be what Coach Luke Fickell and the rest of the staff were looking for in terms of creating a "movement" of local kids staying in the Queen City to play at the next level.

Under the previous coaching staff, several recruits from the state of Ohio were overlooked and passed by.

BearcatReport was able to catch up exclusively with White earlier this week to discuss his decision to commit to the Bearcats. White's first reaction to the Bearcats decision to hire Fickell was a telling sign of what was to come.

"I think Fickell is a great hire for them, I think he is going to turn the program around quickly. Word around town is I am his number one target" White said last month about the decision to hire Coach Fickell.

What was it within the last several weeks that led White to spurn several Power 5 offers to stay home and play for Cincinnati?

"The amount of love they showed me was unreal. They showed they really wanted me and made me a man priority as soon as they got to campus. It's a win-win for me and my family because I get to stay close to home."

White also mentioned multiple times how much of a factor Coach Freeman played in his recruitment from the first time he reached out shortly after it became known he was going to be a part of Fickell's staff.

White is ready for the transition from recruit to recruiter, and he has some good news for Bearcat fans:

"I've been a vocal recruiter already, I have reached out to a couple of guys. I'm ready to put on for the city, and bring Cincinnati back to winning bowl games."

The fate of this 2017 recruiting may still be unknown for the Bearcats, but gaining the commitment from Jarell White gives UC an unprecedented amount of momentum as we near the end of the dead period.