CINCINNATI — The limitations of the pandemic may have prevented Luke Fickell from making the type of memorable first impression college football coaches strive for on the recruiting trail. Fortunately, his backyard picked up the slack.

“Oh my god. It was unbelievable,” said Bearcats freshman quarterback Brady Lichtenberg. “We walked back there, and I was already amazed at the house itself, and then you see the outdoor basketball court and this barn right next to it, and I’m like, ‘What the heck is going on right now?’ Then when you walk in the barn, there are nice tables set up for everyone to eat, but there are also basketball hoops inside the barn. He’s got a nice setup over there for sure.”

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Fickell and the Bearcats hosted the majority of their 2021 recruiting class for an official move-in event this past weekend, with those who had not already enrolled early for spring practice finally arriving on campus — some for the first time. The pandemic prevented most 2021 prospects, including UC’s 43rd-ranked class according to 247Sports, from going on official visits over the course of their recruitment, so Cincinnati did what it could to recreate the experience for the players and their families. The show-stopping highlight was a Saturday evening get-together at the newly built barn on Fickell’s property, which was finished just hours before the guests arrived. But it was one palatial piece of a collective effort.

“We just wanted to do something special that most of them never had the opportunity to do because of COVID,” said Pat Lambert, UC football’s director of recruiting. “Coach Fick wanted to make this a priority for these kids and their families after a unique year.”

The Bearcats were under no obligation to use the weekend to celebrate a group of players who were already signed. With on-campus recruiting back underway for the first time in 15 months, a number of programs seized on an opportunity to squeeze in an extra official visit for the 2022 cycle. But knowing it would be the first chance for many of the 2021 signees and their parents to meet and interact with teammates and coaches in person, and the first chance a few had to even visit the city and university, Fickell and his staff rolled out the red carpet. NCAA rules prevented it from being an exact replica of a true official visit, but it was closer than anything most of the incoming freshmen had otherwise.

“It was exciting, because everything had been all over Zoom. Finally getting to meet coaches in person, shake their hands, talk to them face-to-face, it was awesome,” said freshman defensive lineman Zeiqui Lawton.

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Lawton, a West Virginia native, attended the Bearcats’ memorable 2019 home win over UCF as a junior in high school, but hadn’t been back to Cincinnati since. Last weekend was his first opportunity to meet defensive line coach Greg Scruggs and defensive coordinator Mike Tressel as well.

“Us missing out on all those official visits, for UC to give us that experience with this was amazing,” he said.

Players and their families arrived on campus Saturday morning, starting with bloodwork and an antigen test before moving into one of two apartment complexes just off campus. That included the brand-new Deacon Apartments behind Hughes High School, replete with a pool, putting green and golf simulator, and arcade.

Everyone then met up in the Nippert Stadium press box for lunch and photo shoots, followed by tours of campus and the football facilities, as well as a quick medical screening and introduction to the athletic training staff.

“I really never got to see the campus before. The weight room is amazing, huge,” said Lawton. “And they’re about to renovate the meeting rooms and locker rooms, so I can’t wait until that gets done.”

After a few hours to finish moving in and relax, the players and their families were shuttled to Fickell’s home in Indian Hill. Players congregated on the outdoor basketball court adjacent to the already infamous Fickell Barn, where parents and coaches had another chance to make up for the lost living-room time they would have normally had together. There was a catered dinner from Montgomery Inn and Graeter’s Ice Cream for dessert to really ring in the Queen City welcome.

“It was loud. It was super loud. I loved the brotherhood, the coaches, associating with everybody’s family. I just loved it. It showed that the coaches really love us and are going to take care of us,” said Isiah Cox, a freshman safety from Tennessee who committed last November. Other than a quick roadtrip he and his family made to campus this spring, move-in weekend was his first true introduction to Cincinnati and UC football.

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“I like the city. There’s a lot of things to do here, places to eat, go chill,” he said. “It was great. I’m glad they did this. They looked out for us because of the situation with COVID, and I appreciate them for that.”

Sunday afternoon featured a medical follow-up with Dr. Jon Divine, UC’s head team physician, getting all of the incoming freshmen cleared before summer workouts started in earnest on Monday. Much like many aspects of life in recent days, it made for an abrupt transition for the Bearcats’ 2021 class from relative strangers to roommates and teammates. Though corralling everyone together on Saturday helped break that ice — and likely earned Fickell some unsolicited invites to his house the rest of the summer.

“I feel like most of the time, guys in the same class will know each other from past visits, camps, official visits. But a lot of us were meeting each other for the first time. Right away we started to blend with each other,” said Lichtenberg. “It shows the staff really cares about us and didn’t forget about us, even though COVID kind of canceled all the stuff we had planned for last year. They were still able to maneuver things, find ways to make it an enjoyable experience for us and our families.”

 (Top photo courtesy of Cincinnati Bearcats Athletics)