also, would you happen to know if a user's role requires permission/access to these reports for it to show up via the global search? I feel like there may be something behind the role that's causing the issue....

You will have to have the role have access to the report the customized is based on in order for it to show up in global search

how would I view the report type? under saved reports, the report type column simply says the reports name.....Deferred revenue by customer

I would think the report type would match the name of the report in the reports list

thank you for your help, I should be able to figure this out with the insights you've provided me, I'll make sure to share what I've learned with others if the same question arises

There is a SA article on it - I can't remember how hard it was to find.