Pitt FB Recruiting
Kevin Doyle Talks Saturday’s Visit to Pittsburgh, Decision Date
3-star quarterback recruit Kevin Doyle is a player that Pittsburgh Sports Now has covered extensively over the past two years. As one of the Panthers’ priority recruits in the Class of 2018, Pitt fans want to stay apprised of the developments in Doyle’s recruitment. The 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound signal caller visited Pittsburgh Saturday for the Panthers’ scrimmage, and Pittsburgh Sports Now spoke with him this afternoon to learn more about the visit.
“Yesterday, I went to the Pitt practice—the spring scrimmage—at Heinz Field,” Doyle said. “I was able to go on the field with Coach [Shawn] Watson and Coach Narduzzi, and sit in with the quarterbacks meetings, and get to know the quarterbacks—get to hear Coach Watson talk, and Coach [Rob] Greene, with their terminology. [I] got to watch them practice, sit in on the drills, and watch everything unveil, and how they run things more in depth. I really enjoyed it. I got to learn a lot.”
Naturally, Doyle’s eyes were set on the offense throughout the scrimmage, and he came away impressed with what he saw.
“The offense pulled it out with a late winning touchdown, which was really cool to see. It was nice to see different quarterbacks play. I got to see Max Browne, and then [Ben] DiNucci, and Kenny Pickett play as well—who I know personally. It was great to see everybody play.”
On Saturday, Kevin received the opportunity to acquaint himself with the quarterbacks already on Pitt’s roster. He discovered that they are a group of team-oriented players whose camaraderie he admires.
“I was able to sit in with them in a meeting. They’re a bunch of great guys. They’re all in it together, really want to succeed, and do the best for the program. Throughout the practice, I would go over to their huddle after a drive or a possession in the scrimmage, and Coach Watson was up in the booth, and he would talk to them about what they did. And I was able to listen in with that, and they would help each other out with plays. It was really cool to see them all working together.”
When I spoke with Kevin in February, he expressed his admiration for the Panthers’ newly appointed offensive coordinator, Shawn Watson. Doyle and Watson established a relationship while the latter still served on Indiana’s staff, and the two have worked to develop that relationship throughout the recruiting process.
“It’s really been strengthened after my visit,” Doyle said, of his relationship with Coach Watson. “I was able to talk with him beforehand, and then after the scrimmage we went and had lunch together at the facility. Then, we had about an hour, hour-fifteen [minute] meeting—just him and I—just on the board talking, just seeing what I know, and then me picking his brain about what I saw at practice. And he was really impressed with what I picked up. It was a great visit. Him and I both agreed our feelings are mutual: that I really like them, and they really like me. They’re ok with my timeline of making a decision sometime in June, I would say, which is about the end of spring evaluation and before the summer.”
In February, Doyle did not have an announcement date in mind. Now, he has a good idea of when he will offer a commitment.
“I don’t have like a specific date, per se,” he said. “But I would like to do it sometime around June, just because that allows for the spring evaluation coaches to come out and see me throw, and see who really has interest still, and see whose head pops up that maybe wasn’t there before. It would just allow for me to maybe go on another visit or two, depending on what comes about.”
In June, Kevin Doyle will select the school which he believes is the best fit for him. When he offers his commitment, he would like to know that he has thoroughly explored his options, and that the decision he makes is final. Pitt, who Kevin said “absolutely” has a chance of landing his commitment, will have to compete with all of the teams who have offered him. He also divulged that he has been in contact with Tennessee and Alabama, although neither of those two universities have extended an offer as of yet.
Pittsburgh Sports Now will continue to follow Kevin’s recruitment as June rapidly approaches.
